Adios, Netherworld!
by SaberTheFallenAngel
Summary: Shinjiro died and wound up in Evil Academy. Now nothing will stop him from getting back to the world of the living, even if he has to fight the Overlord! But something else is stirring, something greater than anything he's ever known. It's time to face the light! Now a collaboration with Mirai666.
1. Character list

**Hey guys! Saber here! Well a friend of mine issued me a challenge to write a crossover between one of the Persona games and one of the Disgaea games and I came up with this. the premise is that after Shinjiro died, he wound up in Evil Academy. Now he's trying to return to the world of the living, and he's willing to headbutt the Overlord in the face if that's what it takes! Also I should clarify that both the MC (Minato) and FemC (Hamuko) existed in this universe and were siblings and that the reason Shinji died is because he forgot his watch when he went to meet Ken. Right now this is just a character sheet but I hope to make a full story out of it. Also this isn't a complete character list, this is just the main characters who have already appeared in the story. Let me know what you all think.**

**Characters**

**Shinjiro Aragaki**

Weapon types: Axe, Fist, Sword

Skills:

All axe, fist and sword skills

_Relentless assault_ (Shinjiro's critical attack) Description: _Use your head!_ Range: 1 (Knocks enemy back one square)

_Castor's blade_ (Summons Castor to strike the enemy before throwing the spearhead in his chest at them) Description: _I guess the spearhead was good for something…_ Range: 1 (2 spaces ahead)

_Might of the Earth_ (Shinjiro's evolved Persona strikes with fists of earth) Description: _As solid as his resolve. _Range: 5 (Plus formation, can strike anywhere in a 5 square radius)

Description: The hero of the story and the first to arrive in the Netherworld. The only sane one, if a little confrontational. Wants to return to life to in case Takaya tries to hurt his friends again. Was dating Hamuko Arisato before his death and was a valued member of SEES.

**Takeharu Kirijo**

Weapon types: Sword, Gun

Skills:

All sword and gun skills

All ice spells

_Twin blast_ (Kirijo pulls out a second pistol and repeatedly shoots a nearby enemy) Description: _Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection. _Range: 1 (can hit anywhere in a 9 square line)

_Cold heart_ (Kirijo covers a rapier in ice and begins striking his opponent with it) Description: _He's warm underneath. Honest! _Range: 1

_Frozen kingdom_ (Kirijo summons a golem of ice to freeze his enemies) Description: _Only through coldness can we protect those we love. _Range: 4 (square formation, can strike anywhere in a 6 square radius)

Description: The second to arrive in the Netherworld and the smartest of the group. Has a way with words and money. Learned fencing alongside his daughter but feels more comfortable with a pistol. Wants to return to life to see his daughter again. Has a particular talent for ice magic. Secretly a pervert.

**Chidori Yoshino**

Weapon types: Axe, Sword, Gun

Skills:

All axe, sword and gun skills

All fire spells

All healing spells

_Axe flurry_ (Chidori pulls out an axe on a chain, sets it on fire and strikes an enemy with it numerous times) Description: _How… passionate…_ Range: 1 (can strike anywhere in a 4 square radius)

_Drawing death_ (Chidori draws a Chernobog and has Medea give it life) Description: _Now draw a monkey!_ Range: 1

_Fountain of life_ (Chidori has Medea heal herself and others) Description: _For a healer, she hurts herself a lot… _Range: 13 (effects all units in a 2 square radius, including self)

Description: The third to arrive in the Netherworld. Continues to hurt herself. Responds to everything with either boredom or slight surprise. Becomes even sadder whenever she remembers Junpei. Wants to return to life so she can be with Junpei again.

**Akihiro (Great Brightness)**

Weapon types: Fist, Spear

Skills:

All fist and spear skills

_Shredder Fist_ (Aki repeatedly punches his enemy before hitting them with an uppercut) Description: _Based on his master's kick._ Range: 1

_Infernal Strike_ (Aki summons a female fire spirit and the two repeatedly punch and kick their opponent before summoning a giant fire ball to engulf their target) Description: _Awaken the fires in your soul!_ Range: 1

_Lightning bolt fist_ (Akihiro summons a god of lightning who slams his fist into the enemy) Description: _Wrath of the Gods!_ Range: 9 (square formation)

Description: A Fury Fatalist Shinjiro meets when he first enters the Netherworld. He reminds Shinjiro of Akihiko. He seeks strength but is usually too relaxed to do anything about it. Decides to help Shinjiro in his journey.

**Masaru (Victory)**

Weapon types: Sword

Skills:

All sword skills

_Black Claw_ (Masaru's hand is covered in a black ooze, turning it into a claw which he uses to repeatedly slash the enemy) Description: _Let the darkness consume you!_ Range: 1

_Zanmato_ (Masaru summons a katana with a wooden handle and sheath and slices clean through his enemy. When he sheaths his sword, the enemy suffers the damage) Description: _The blade is the only truth of this world._ Range: 1 (Chance of instant death)

_Black Dragon_ (Masaru rides a dragon made of shadows directly into his opponent, slicing through them as he goes) Description: _Light is overrated…_ Range: 1 (can strike anywhere in an 8 square radius)

Description: A Ronin and Akihiro's best friend. He is very quiet and to the point, not stopping to think his bluntness might hurt someone. Believes highly in honour despite being a demon.

**Dai (Great, Large)**

Weapon types: Axe, Sword

Skills:

All sword and axe skills

_Flying Sword_ (Dai throws his sword into the air, then hits it with his axe, propelling it blade first into his enemy. He then jumps forward and pulls it out of them) Description: _Requires precise timing._ Range: 1 (Hits three squares in front of Dai, moves Dai to directly in front of his target)

_Painful Dream_ (Dai breathes out a cloud of smoke, engulfing his foes. Once inside, he attacks all with his blades while they desperately try to find him. After several attacks, he clears the smoke, revealing a line of explosives barrels surrounding his foes, which then detonates) Description: _This won't have a happy ending._ Range: 8 (Hits all foes in the eight squares around Dai)

_The Bladed King_ (Dai summons a statue with 8 arms, 4 holding axes, 4 holding swords and it begins attacking enemies) Description: _Now you can have both!_ Range: 5 (plus formation, can strike anywhere in a 4 square radius)

Description: A Fighter who is friends with Akihiro. He can never decide between a sword or an axe. He and Juro get along very well. Has a hatred of Monster types.

**Juro (Tenth Son)**

Weapon types: Gun

Skills:

All gun skills

_Gun Juggler_ (Juro pulls out three guns and starts juggling them, firing a shot at his enemy every time he catches one, before firing all three at once) Description: _The ultimate form of recklessness._ Range: 3 (Sideways line, two squares in front of Juro)

_Cursed Bullet_ (Juro loads his gun with a glowing green bullet and fires it at the enemy. After a few seconds, a Chernobog bursts out of the wound, dealing huge damage as it does) Description: _One shot's all he needs._ Range: 1 (Can hit any of the nine squares directly in front of Juro)

_Gun Reaper_ (Juro summons the Reaper to blast the enemy with gunfire) Description: _Dive into Tarturus once more!_ Range: 9 (Straight line)

Description: A Gunner who is friends with Akihiro. He is very impulsive. Feels the need to prove that he's different from his many brothers and that he is the best.

**Mei**

Weapons: Guns, Spears, Axe, Staff

Skills:

All gun, spear, axe skills and all types of magic skills from disgaea 4

_Please Die For Me_(Mei creates serveral white energy spheres which hit the foe, she then snaps her fingers which are glowing with black flames and the white spheres around the foe becomes black consumes the foe creating an explosion. )Description:_She ain't joking_... Range:3 (three tiles, star damage.)

_Monochorme Duet_(Mei summons another her and both proceed to crush and kick the enemy in sychoronized patterns.)Description:_One was bad enough!_ Range:8(one tile)

_Death Requiem_(Mei sucks all surrounding characters into a black hole and surroud the area in the area brightens to show Mei with her wings more larger and spread then proceeds to obliberate the characters in the black hole with light and black beams.)Description:_May your deaths be as painless as possible_. Range:5(nine tiles,star damage.)

Appearance:Resembles Hamuko with expection of her long black hair with white streaks and bangs. Has pointy ears, piercing red eyes with slits, has a pair of wings, one black demon wing and the other one is a strange black feather wing. Wears a red torsolette with black shoulder straps, long black fingerless gloves, a black mini frilly skirt, black thigh high stockings with suspenders and laced up white boots. For accessories she wears a spiked blackleather choaker with a small chain attached to it, large white wrist cuffs on each wrist with silver spikes and chains and two with buckle belts around her waist and skirt.

Description: A strange demon and known as a diligent honour student at evil academy. One minute she can be angelic, emoitionless and blunt, the next would reveal her twisted personaliy that enjoys to tease people by bringing emotional weakness which humiliates and agonize other characters and can still be calm without a change in expression. Due to this somewhat twisted and murderous personality, many demons including Mao are afraid of her and tend to stay clear from her. Her greatest wish is to torture a human due to her curiousity in them, thus follows Shinjiro despite his attempts and threats to get rid of her, though he can't bring himself to hate her. Must be because she looks like Hamuko.


	2. Chapter 1 The End Is The Beginning

**Hey guys. Before we begin I've got some things to say. First of all, thanks for your OCs, even if they don't all become main characters, I'll still find a way to fit them in. Also I've made my decision on whether or not Minato will show up… No, I'm not going to tell you if he is or not… Also incase anyone's wondering, Mao's journey has started and he's already met Almaz by the time this story starts. I probably won't update this fast usually (Mostly cause I still have to work out what the main plot is), but I will try my best to finish this story. Now, please enjoy the first chapter of Adios, Netherworld!**

* * *

**Chapter 1 – The End Is The Beginning.**

* * *

"This is how it should be…"

Those were his last words before all his strength left him, and he collapsed onto the cold ground. He could hear the others panicking, desperately looking for a way to stop the bleeding. But he knew, and deep down so did they, that there was no saving him now. He closed his eyes and all went quiet.

…Until a large bell rang.

Shinjiro sat up with a start, confused about the loud noise he heard. As soon as the surprise wore off he noticed several very important details. First, he wasn't in the alleyway anymore. Second, none of the other members of SEES were there. And third, he wasn't bleeding. That meant that either this was the afterlife or he had somehow avoided death. Having reached this conclusion, he decided to look around.

He was in a large hall of some sort, to his left was what looked like a makeshift hospital and some sort of shop. To his right were two shops which were selling all sorts of bizarre weapons and armour. In front of him was what looked like a butler standing in the middle of a circle, which appeared to be glowing beneath him. And behind him was…

A statue of a penguin reading a book…

Shinji had seen many strange things in his short life but that had to have been the strangest.

After pinching himself several times to check if he was dreaming, Shinji decided to check what he had with him. Thankfully, he still had his pants, shirt and shoes so he wasn't going to cause a scene. Shinji was also glad to find that his hat still sat firmly on his head. Sadly, since he hadn't brought any of them with him to that alley, all of his weapons and armour were missing, with the exception of his Evoker. To make things worse, even though he had his Evoker, he could feel that he didn't have the energy to summon his Persona. If something happened, he'd have to defend himself with his bare hands.

"Well, you look nice and strong."

Sometimes Shinji is convinced the universe hates him.

Turning around, he saw a figure leaning against the statue with his arms crossed and a playful smile on his face. The man has silver hair and wears an open front red jacket, with no shirt underneath, revealing his muscular chest. He wore what looked like baggy jeans with pure black trainers that were both covered in dirt.

"I've been looking for someone strong. Now, fight me!" The man yelled as he struck a fighting stance, his smile growing larger.

Shinji, being a master of words and an expert on conversation said the most reasonable thing he could think of.

"No." Having said this, he decided that now was as good a time as any to leave. The stranger however had different plans and jumped in front of Shinjiro with incredible speed.

"I don't think so. I've issued you a challenge, and you have to accept it!" The man clearly wasn't taking no for an answer. Shinji sighed, realising that if he wanted to find out what was going on, he'd have to go through this guy.

"Fine. But when this is over, you're answerin' my questions." He cracked his knuckles to prove his point. If anything this just made his opponent happier.

"Heh, as long as you fight, I don't care. Show me what you got!"

With that both men charged at each other, their right fists raised, ready to strike. The mysterious man swung first, aiming directly for Shinjiro's face. For once Shinji was thankful for Ahihiko's obsessive desire to fight and grow stronger, as he knew exactly how to counter this. Turning his body, he was able to dodge the attack, and in the same motion struck his opponents nose with the side of his head, before turning again and punching the man in the back of the head.

Shinji looked at his collapsed opponent. That had been easier than he thought. Of course, since nothing can ever go right in his life, the silver haired man swiftly jumped to his feet, his nose clearly broken but his spirit seemed to burn even stronger than before.

"Yes yes YES! You ARE strong! Oh man, Just the thought of fighting you is making my heart race!"

"Are you here to fight or just flirt?"

"Hah! And he's got an attitude to him! Even better!" Again the man charged. Shinjiro knew that he couldn't back down now and got ready to keep fighting.

Before either man reached each other though, a sword was thrown between them, causing the obsessed fighter to stop in his tracks. Both turned to see a man in a black longcoat over what appeared to be a hakama and haori, a sword was strapped to his coat's hip and an empty scabbard was on the opposite side. His hair was black and unkempt, almost completely covering his eyes. Despite this, both men could feel that he was glaring at them.

Without a word, he approached the silver haired man, who raised his hand in greeting, "Hey, MasaAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

The sight of his opponent being flipped over and slammed back first into a large statue was sudden and made Shinjiro nervous on if he would have to fight this guy as well.

"Idiot. You were supposed to get our lunch, not start random fights."

Now Shinjiro was very confused.

"But, Masaru! This guy's strong! And you know I've gotta keep practising!"

"Do that in your own time. Not when it's your turn to get us food. The others are starving and I'm getting hungry too. Where's. My. Lunch?"

"It's, err, on the other side of the statue…"

"You mean that empty bag?"

"What!?"

The silver haired man looked and noticed that the bag was indeed empty.

"You lost our food because you're too busy fighting." The coat wearing man said before slapping his friend (?) on the back of the head

Shinjiro had become tired of this and decided that enough was enough. "Will somebody tell me what the HELL is going on!?"

Both men turned to him, having clearly forgotten he was there. "Well, my friends sent me to get their lunches but then I saw you and-"

"I get that part! I mean, where am I!?"

Now both men seemed confused and glanced at each other before continuing. The unkempt man, Masaru, decided to answer that question. "This is the Nether Institute, Evil Academy. The school for demons."

"…What?"

And thus the young Persona user, Shinjiro Aragaki, found himself in the Netherworld.

* * *

**Well, that was the first chapter of Adios, Netherworld! Hope you all liked it! If you noticed any problems leave a comment about it.**


	3. Chapter 2 Meeting the Gang

**Hey. This one's a little longer than the last one. I got a little carried away. I'm glad you've sent in so many characters. I'm sure I'll be able to use them. Though I can't help but notice that you're all submitting humanoid men. If one of you could come up with a girl or a monster or a monster girl, please send them in. I don't want Chidori to be the only girl of the team. Also to answer DA's question, Aurum will be in the story as will some new villains and some old ones. Well that's enough stalling, on with the show!**

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Meeting the gang**

* * *

The three men stood there, staring at each other, waiting for someone to do something. Shinjiro was still in a mild case of shock from what he had just heard. He was in a school for demons. How was that even possible? After asking himself this question a thousand times in the span of three seconds, he realised that his brain wasn't going to give him an answer, but maybe the two supposed demons could.

"You said you'd answer my questions if I beat you. Well I've got a lot of questions, and you're answerin' 'em!"

"Hey! You didn't beat me! Our fight was interrupted!" The silver haired man yelled before turning to leave. The second man however grabbed his arm before he could, what little could be seen of his eyes never leaving Shinji.

"You were going to lose anyway. Honour your word." He said simply before once again flipping his friend onto his back, his head landing at just the right angle for Shinjiro to loom over him.

"*Sigh* Did you HAVE to put it like that?"

"If I'm not honest, how will you improve?"

"…"

Shinji decided that now was as good a time as any to ask his questions. "You said this was a school for demons. So how did I get here?"

The silver haired man thought for a moment, though since he was lying down it looked more like he was going to sleep. Eventually he gave a simple answer. "You were enrolled."

The sound of the black haired man's palm colliding with his face could be heard all over the Netherworld. "You know what, I'll answer your questions. But since you've got a lot, we'd best head somewhere else. Aki, show him to the classroom."

Shinjiro flinched at that name, memories of his childhood friend Akihiko flooding into his mind. Thinking about it, this man before him shared some similarities with his old friend. Both had silver hair and were skilled with their fists, accompanied by a psychotic need to grow stronger. However Shinji noticed a few major differences between the two. First, the man standing before him preferred lighter, more relaxed clothing. Second Akihiko was a few inches taller than this demon. And finally…

Akihiko had a brain.

"But Masaru! Why do I have to take him back? Can't you do it and I'll get the food?"

"So you can have it stolen when you challenge random people to fights?"

Aki was about to argue, then remembered that that had happened just five minutes ago, so really anything he said would be a complete lie which would just cause Masaru to hurt him again. He figured it was best to simply say nothing.

Masaru turned to Shinjiro when it was clear that Aki wasn't going to say anything. "Just follow him. I'll answer your questions when I get there. And whatever you do, don't sneak up on a man in a hat."

Still annoyed at not having answers, Shinjiro grudgingly followed Aki, hoping that someone would decide to be helpful soon.

* * *

After five minutes of awkward silence, Aki decided to try to talk to his reluctant companion. "Well, we haven't introduced each other yet. I'm Akihiro! Martial arts expert! And you are?"

"…Shinjiro Aragaki."

"Well Shinjiro… LET'S FINISH OUR FI-"

Akihiro never finished his sentence, as Shinjiro punched him in the face before he could. "For a martial arts expert, you really suck."

Aki didn't respond, simply clutching his now badly broken and bleeding nose. He took a moment to point to a nearby door. Shinji took this as a sign and walked inside.

In the classroom, which looked like it hadn't been cleaned since before it was built, there sat two men. The first was a black haired man with an eye obscured by his bangs. He wore what looked like military pants, complete with a jungle camouflage pattern, accompanied by a dark blue hoodie and a pair of thick gloves and bracers. A headband had been hastily tied around his head and would probably fall off soon. He was currently inspecting an axe and a sword, seemingly trying to decide which was better.

The second man was further back, facing away from the door and seemed to be asleep. From what little he could see, the man wore a large cowboy hat and poncho. He could also make out dark hair, though what colour it was eluded him. Since this was probably the man he was told about, Shinjiro decided not to wake him.

Then Aki came into the room.

"HEY GUYS! WE GOT A VISITOR!"

The sudden noise made the sleeping man wake up, quickly turn, pull out a gun and start firing wildly in their direction. Shinjiro quickly dove out of the way of the wild attack, but Aki was too slow and was hit numerous times before collapsing to the ground, dead.

"Ow."

Or not.

"Sorry about that man." The insane gunman said simply.

"Eh, my fault." Aki responded before standing up, looking more annoyed than terminally injured. Shinjiro could only stare in disbelief. This man was shot who knows how many times, and yet he claimed to be just fine. He should be dead!

Then again, Shinji wasn't exactly in a position to preach that.

Almost immediately, Masaru entered the room, glanced at Aki, then proceeded to continue into the classroom as if he had seen nothing. "Lunch."

"Finally!" The man at the desk yelled before leaping and grabbing two boxes from Masaru's hands. He then dropped one when Masaru stabbed through his arm.

"One per person." Masaru stated simply while grabbing the falling box with his free hand. After his lunch was back in his hand, he removed the sword from the other man's arm, who reacted more like he had a slight itch than a katana making a shish kebab out of his arm.

That was the final proof that Shinji needed that these people were indeed demons. And if that was true, did that mean he was… in hell? Instantly he thought back to that moment several years ago where he lost control for just a few seconds and tainted his soul forever. That must have been why he was there.

"Well I said I'd answer your questions. Go ahead and ask." Masaru said in a bored voice. He was currently leaning against the teacher's desk eating some kind of meat with a pair of chopsticks. Shinji stared up at him before getting to his feet.

"Why bother? I already know what I'm here for…"

"Oh? And that would be?"

"To be punished for my sins…"

Laughter was not the reaction he was expecting to this statement. For some reason Akihiro and the two strangers began laughing like they'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. Even Masaru looked like he was fighting back a smile. "That's not why you're here."

"What?"

"Just because we're demons, doesn't make this hell."

"Yeah, and if you were a sinner, you'd be a Prinny!" Aki added, having just finished laughing.

"…A what?"

"A Prinny. They're basically our slaves. Look like penguins." Masaru said before putting another piece of meat in his mouth.

So that was what that statue was. That explained a lot.

Oh wait.

NO IT DIDN'T!

Shinji was just a few seconds from pulling out his hair. Thankfully he realised that he should try figuring things out first and seeing if they made sense later.

"So… why do they look like penguins?"

Masaru stared at Shinjiro for what felt like the longest time. After swallowing his food he finally answered the question.

With a shrug.

"No one really knows." The man with the headband stated.

"I'd still like to know why they blow up when we throw them…" Aki stated thoughtfully.

Shinji didn't even bother questioning that last statement.

"OK, If I'm not here to suffer, why am I here?"

Now this made everyone look thoughtful, clearly trying to find an answer to that question.

"I… don't know… Humans are supposed to be reborn as Prinnys, be reincarnated or go to Heaven. I've never heard of a human being sent to the Netherworld as himself before." Masaru looked confused. It looked like he wasn't used to not knowing things.

"Great. The most important question and no one can answer it…"

All four of the demons looked a little sad at this, very accurate, statement.

"Forget it. I'll go find someone who does know."

However as he turned to leave, Akihiro moved in front of him. "Oh no you don't! I'm gonna beat you yet! So I can't just let you walk away. And if that means helping you find answers, then you just found yourself some backup!"

Shinjiro stared at him for a second. "…I don't need your help."

"You don't know this place or its customs. You won't last a minute without help." Said the man in the hoodie, who had somehow gotten right next to Shinji without him noticing. "Besides this looks like the most interesting thing to have happened in years. I'm not letting it slip away!"

"Heh, you got that right!" Said the man in the hat, who was now standing opposite of the black haired man and also was uncomfortably close to Shinji's side.

Shinjiro thought for a moment. He really didn't know the area or where to start his search. Maybe he could stay with them long enough to find out what he needed to. "Hmph, fine. Do what you want."

At the sound of this, the three men all cheered. When they were done, they all turned to Masaru who looked as stern as ever. "… I admit I'm curious. I'll help you out for now."

At this Aki approached him and gave him a friendly punch on the arm. "That's the spirit!"

Completely ignoring what just happened, Masaru approached Shinjiro. "You can stay here with us for now. No one comes here so you don't have to worry about unwanted attention."

"But… it's a classroom."

"Yeah, but Demons aren't expected to learn. No ones used this classroom in years. Hell, I can't remember the last time I attended a class. Or saw a teacher." Aki mused while sitting in a random chair.

"… If you don't learn then why do you have a school?"

"…Principal of the thing?"

"…"

"Look the point is it's here and you have a place to stay. That's what matters." The hatted man injected. "And you won't be bothered by unwanted attention. No one knows we're here."

"I wonder if they even know if we're still alive." Aki asked, completely seriously.

"Wouldn't be the first time people think I'm dead." Masaru plainly stated.

Deciding that he should probably make his decision now before he was driven insane, Shinjiro very quickly said, "Alright. I'll stay. For now."

The four men nodded and Masaru stood to shake his hand. "Since you'll be staying here… I'm Masaru."

The man in the hat then rushed over, "I'm Juro!"

The man with black hair soon followed, "Names Dai!"

Aki soon approached, "And you already know my name."

Shinji stared at them, wondering if he was making the right decision. Eventually he reached his hand forward and accepted Masaru's in his own. "Shinjiro Aragaki."

Masaru nodded and gave Shinji's hand a firm shake. Whatever happened now, it was too late to look back.


	4. Chapter 3 Torturous Lookalike

**Chapter 3 – Torturous Lookalike**

* * *

With some explanation from his new allies, Shinjiro quickly learned some of the basics of Demons and the Netherworld (They can withstand above average levels of injury, they're expected to obey their instincts, etc.). Unfortunately, by the time they had finished, night had fallen and they were all very tired. This meant that they would have to wait until morning to find their answers which annoyed Shinji, but he acknowledged that he needed sleep.

Getting to sleep was difficult for him however. He had never tried sleeping in a demonic classroom before, and the experience was quite disorienting. Eventually though he drifted to sleep, still sitting at one of the desks.

Part of him wished he had stayed awake.

That night he was plagued with dreams. Not nightmares, for they did not scare him. No, what he dreamed was worse than that.

He dreamed about his life.

Memories of growing up with Akihiko, the nights he spent with him and Mitsuru before he began his downward spiral into despair and worst of all…

He remembered her.

The girl who had given him reason to live again. The girl who made all the guilt in his soul feel so far away. The girl who had barged into his room and, still as cheerful as ever, told him she loved him.

Hamuko Arisato.

But all that was gone now. He was dead. He may never see them again.

For the first time, he felt truly alone.

* * *

The next day, Shinjiro was the first to wake up. He was tired, he was depressed and above all else…

He was hungry. REALLY HUNGRY.

After spending five minutes rummaging through what was left of the Demons meal last night, he realised that he would have to leave the classroom to get some food. This raised its own problem. He would need directions in order to find where the food is, but after seeing what happens when one of these guys gets woken up, he decided it would be best to go alone.

* * *

It was NOT best to go alone.

This was the conclusion Shinji reached after twenty minutes of walking around random corridors. He had forgotten where he had come from and had so many options on where to go that he could in theory be looking forever. He was even starting to think that some of these corridors llooped and that he was just going in circles.

Which, given that he was in the Netherworld, wasn't that bad a guess.

After releasing a huge sigh, Shinji heard a sound coming from one of the halls. Quickly he turned to face it. There he saw something which made his eyes widen.

Standing in front of him was…

"Hamuko?"

The figure tilted her head and stepped closer. As she got closer, Shinjiro noticed that, while she had a similar face and the same hair style as her, this girl was not Hamuko. First of all, the girl before him had black hair with streaks of white in contrast to Hamuko's reddish brown hair. Secondly, Hamuko usually wore very understated clothing, clearly not trying to draw any unnecessary attention to herself. This girl seemed to be trying to get as many people's attention as possible with her red and black torsolette, fingerless gloves that reached her elbows, short frilly skirt, black thigh high suspended stockings and white laced boots. And that wasn't taking into account the spiked leather choker, spiked white wrist cuffs and twin belts around her waist. With an outfit that provocative, it would be amazing if you didn't see her. Though neither of these where what truly alerted Shinjiro that she was not the women he loved.

What showed him the real difference was when she stepped far enough out of the shadows to reveal a pair of wings, one resembling a bat, the other, a raven.

He was pretty sure that Hamuko didn't have those.

"Are you lost?" She spoke in a soft voice. Sensing no hostility from the woman, and remembering that, since it's the Netherworld, people with wings and elaborate outfits are fairly normal, Shinji decided that perhaps he could just ask her for help and then hopefully get back to the classroom before the others woke up.

"Yeah. I was… looking for a place to eat, but all these corridors look the same."

"I can show you the way if you want."

"…Thanks." Normally Shinjiro would argue against such an offer, but at this stage he was too hungry to care. The mysterious girl turned and began walking down one of the endless corridors. Shinji followed, glad he had found someone who knew the way.

The two walked in silence for a while before the girl decided to ask Shinjiro a few questions. "So are you new here?"

"Yeah. Got here yesterday."

"You'll get used to it. We all do." She said reassuringly. "By the way, my name's Mei. What's yours?"

"…Shinjiro Aragaki."

"Nice name. Never heard it before. Why'd you enrol?"

"I didn't."

"Then… how did you get here?"

"That's what I wanna know…" Thinking for a moment, Shinjiro figured that now would be a good time to ask Mei if she knew anything about his situation. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Is it possible for a human to appear in the Netherworld after death?"

Mei stopped and turned to Shinjiro upon hearing this. "Why?"

"Because I wanna know how I got here…"

At this, Mei's eyes widened. "You're… a human?"

"…Yeah."

"I… I see! That's… fascinating!" Mei's hands were starting to twitch, though Shinji wasn't sure of the exact reason.

"LOOK OUT!"

A split second after hearing this mysterious yell, Shinjiro felt another body slam into his own, knocking him to the ground. Looking up, he noticed that Akihiro had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and tackled him. Looking at Mei, he saw why. In her hand was a scalpel, which she had thrust forward, directly into the empty space where his torso used to be.

Mei turned to look at them, looking more confused than anything. "Why did you interrupt? I finally have a human to experiment on, and you interfered. Why?"

Aki stood up and faced her, "Heh, sorry. But I swore I'd beat this guy in a fight someday and I can't do that if you slice his chest open."

"So that's how it is, huh? Fine. I guess I'll just experiment on you too." With this, Mei drew a large axe, apparently from thin air, and swung in the two's direction. Aki quickly side stepped the attack, while Shinji rolled and used his momentum to get back on his feet.

"So you wanna fight huh? Well bring it on! We can take ya!" Aki bellowed confidently, striking his battle stance. Shinji however, hesitated. Because no matter how much he told himself that it wasn't her, no matter how much his body screamed that he had to fight. He couldn't bring himself to injure someone who bore her face.

Mei continued her assault with a horizontal swing, which both men had to avoid with a quick jump backwards. Ai countered this by making a wide punch for her face. She dodged the attack, barely and followed through with a quick kick to Aki's undefended ribcage. The kick hurt a lot and Aki was convinced that one of his ribs was broken. But now wasn't the time for him to focus on the pain, now was the time to keep fighting.

Soon the two were focused only on each other. Shinjiro stood at the side, watching as the two traded blows. Aki would occasionally land a powerful punch on Mei, while she would land several weaker but faster kicks. The axe had yet to connect to anything but Mei continued to swing it and every time she did, Aki would try to knock it back at her. He knew he should intervene, but his legs wouldn't listen.

Eventually it was clear that both fighters were tired of this and were ready to end this fight. Aki jumped back from his opponent and struck his stance once more. Mei also took a stance, ready to charge. A few seconds later she did just that and swung the axe down as hard as she could.

Aki made no attempt to stop it and it embed itself directly into his right shoulder. Blood poured from the wound and sprayed onto his opponents face. Shinji stared in shock as the pure red liquid flowed down the man's chest. But what really shocked him was what happened next.

Akihiro smiled, and faster than either of them could see, he brought his left palm directly into Mei's face, sending her and her axe flying backwards. Clearly annoyed that someone had injured her, Mei prepared to attack again.

But by now, Shinji had made up his mind and grabbed the axe midswing. Having forgotten he was there, Mei turned in surprise, just in time to see Shinji grab her arm, spin her around, and throw her, causing her to lose her grip on her weapon. After getting up from the ground, she stared at the two, an alarming smile gracing her lips. "Heh, you two are better than I thought. I'm going to enjoy experimenting on you. But not today. After all, how could I possibly defeat such strong men?" That last part was said with such obvious sarcasm that it's amazing she didn't just hold up a sign saying 'Sarcasm' on it. "So I'll let you both get some rest and enjoy your victory. Hell, I'll even let you keep the axe. But remember that I'm out there, and I might not be alone next time."

With that Mei leaped backwards and disappeared into the shadows.

"Well, that was fun." Aki said plainly.

"Idiot!"

"Huh?"

"Why'd you let her hit you? That attack was wide enough that you could have dodged it in an instant! But you just stood there! Why?"

"It was all part of the plan. You know that stance I took? It's called the Punishing Stance. It allows me to channel enough energy into my body that I can counter any attack my opponent makes against me. If I'd dodged then I would have broken my stance and she would have had the advantage."

Shinji simply stared at his ally. "That has got to be the dumbest move I've ever heard."

"Hey it worked didn't it?"

"…"

He really didn't have an argument for that.

"Tch. Just… try not to do something so stupid again."

"Oh? Are you starting to care? Besides you're not one to lecture others on doing stupid things, mister 'I'll wander off on my own'. "

Again Shinji couldn't really argue that point.

"Come on, let's get something to eat and have someone look at this." Aki said cheerfully, pointing at his still bleeding shoulder.

Shinji didn't say anything and seemed to have gone into deep thought. When Aki pushed him out of the way of her scalpel, risking his own life to save him, he remembered that he had done something similar. But that wasn't all he remembered.

He remembered that while he was trying to figure all this out, an insane man with a revolver was threatening his teammates. Threatening his best friend Akihiko. Threatening Hamuko! At that moment he made a decision.

"Aki."

"Hmm?"

"I'm going back to my world."

"Whoa whoa whoa! You can't do that. The gates to the human world were sealed off by the Overlord 200 years ago. Only those he trusts know the code to open them. And most of them are dead."

"Well then. I guess I'll just have to defeat the Overlord."

"WHAT?"

"You heard me."

"But…! That's just crazy! No-one fights the Overlord! It's suicide!"

"If you're scared then go back to hiding in your classroom. I won't drag you into my battle."

"… Damn it! I can't afford to let you die before our rematch… Fine! We'll go to the Overlord's palace and when you realise how bad an idea this is, we can turn around and forget about it."

"You think I can just forget my life? The life I left behind? My friends are in danger! I have to help them!"

Aki was shocked by Shinjiro's outburst and took a step back from the enraged man. It was clear that now, there was no stopping him. "… You're real determined you know that? Ah, what the hell. I'd probably try and fight him eventually anyway. Count me in."

"Tch, do what you want." Secretly Shinji was glad that he had backup. If all demons could take as much punishment as the ones he'd seen, he could use the backup.

"The others won't be happy to hear about this. Let's get them some breakfast and hope they don't kill us themselves."

Remembering his growling stomach, Shinjiro agreed and the two men walked down the corridor together, a great adventure lying before them.

* * *

**Special thanks to Mirai666 for sending in Mei.**


	5. Chapter 4 Releasing your potential

**Wow, I've been on a roll recently. All these ideas keep popping into my head. Hope you all like this chapter that I made up as I went along.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Releasing your potential**

* * *

When Shinjiro and Akihiro got back to the classroom where the others were waiting, they told them about their plan to fight the Overlord and get Shinji home. They took it well.

"ARE YOU INSANE?"

"YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MINDS!"

"THAT'S JUST CRAZY!"

Aki sheepishly scratched the back of his head and avoided meeting the gaze of his friends. Shinji meanwhile just glared at them, refusing to back down.

"I'm doing this and none of you are stopping me." At this Dai spoke up.

"I don't plan to! You wanna kill yourself, go ahead!"

"I'm all for thrills but this is too much, man!" Juro added.

"It's just plain stupid!" Masaru finished

"Yeahhhhh… I gotta agree with them. This IS a pretty crazy and stupid thing we're doing."

"I thought you were helping."

"I am! It's just… they're right. We're getting in over our heads."

"Damn right you are! You haven't even been in the Netherworld a day and you're already challenging the most powerful being there is! If you do this you will die!" Dai stated forcefully.

"I've died once and I'm still fighting. Dying again won't stop me!"

Silence followed, as the others tried to think of some sort of argument against that. They couldn't.

"Keep hiding in your classroom if you want. I'm goin'."

Shinjiro turned for the door and, with a glance at his friends, Aki soon followed.

"Wait."

The two men turned to Masaru who looked exasperated. "If you're going to do this, then you're gonna need to be stronger. I'll… make a list of strong opponents. If we can beat all of them, then we might just stand a chance against the Overlord."

Dai and Juro were surprised to hear this. "Wait, 'we'? You can't honestly be joining them? You're meant to be the reasonable, logical one of our group!"

"I'm also the one who's not going to let my best friend die a fool's death."

"So you'll help us?" Aki asked hesitantly.

"Looks like I don't have much choice. You'd get yourself killed if I didn't."

Aki smiled and wrapped his arm around Masaru's shoulders. "I knew I could count on ya man!"

Masaru glared at him in response. "What did I say about touching?"

Aki pulled his arm back and moved his other to behind his head. "Not to…"

"Goddamn it!" Dai yelled, kicking a nearby desk into a wall. "You're not giving us a lot of choice here ya know! … Fine! I'll help too!"

"… If he's goin' then I guess I am too." Juro shrugged as he said this.

"Thanks guys." Aki said, moved that they would help him like this.

"OK, Aki, Dai, Juro. Show him to the shops, make sure you get all the stuff we'll need and then come back here. I'll start on that list."

The others nodded and left, leaving Masaru to his work.

* * *

The group had been buying items en masse. They had weapons, armour and all the healing items they could. Shinji was worried on how they were going to carry all of this stuff back and THEN carry it into battle with them. Thankfully, Aki told him about something called "Void bags", pouches that demons carry which can store a surprisingly large amount of items. Since Aki had a spare, Shinji was now cramming as much stuff as he could into the bag.

It was at this point that Dai decided to brief him about Mana. As he explained it, Mana is a kind of energy that flows through all living beings. In the Netherworld when someone defeats someone else, some of the losers Mana is released and absorbed into the winner. Those with Mana can also channel it to certain Demons in exchange for services. Juro decided to introduce him to one such Demon, a Ninja from the look of him.

"This is Takehisa, the skill master. He can draw out the power within in exchange for Mana. If you ever need to get stronger, just let him know."

Takehisa bowed to the young man. "I look forward to helping you, zam."

"…Zam?"

"Ah, Ninjas do that for some reason. Just ignore it."

The Ninja then rose and stared at Shinji. "Oh, I can see vast potential in you, zam. And Mana. You must have already beaten someone. Very well. Let me release some of your potential, zam." With this, Takehisa placed his hands on the sides of Shinjiro's head. Both men's eyes began to glow and Shinji soon found himself in a strange void.

* * *

There were clouds scattered across an evening sky above him and below an endless ocean. Standing in the middle of the void, yet somehow not sinking, was Takehisa. With a wave of his hand, four columns rose from the water, surrounding Shinjiro. A weapon was stuck in each pillar with the exception of the one straight in front of him, which was wrapped in chains. The one on the left had a sword buried hilt deep into the rock, while the one to his right had an axe jammed into its side, the blade completely obscured. The one behind him had a gauntlet thrust into it, with no sign that it could be removed.

"These pillars represent your potential. And each one is a different path that you may walk. The pillar to your left is the path of the sword, fast and versatile, skills requiring agility above all else, zam. To your right, the path of the axe, strong but slow, skills which shatter your enemies defence so you can finish them quickly, zam. Behind you, the path of the fist, to need no weapons and be in deep connection with your body, skills that require absolute focus and can change the field to your advantage, zam."

"And the pillar in front of me?"

"Ah, this is the pillar of truth, zam. Everyone has a different one. I cannot awaken the powers within this pillar; merely strengthen what you have already unlocked, zam. And it would appear that one of powers within has already awakened, zam. Look."

Shinji noticed that there was a glowing circle on the pillar that when he gazed at, he remembered his battles in Tartarus and whenever he would unleash the full force of his axe upon his opponent.

"So how do I unlock the other pillars?"

"As you can see, each pillar has a weapon embedded into it. This weapon represents a block preventing you from reaching your full potential, zam. If you channel your Mana through your very being, you may remove them and in doing so, remove the block, zam."

Aside from the fact that this guy constantly saying "Zam" was getting annoying, Shinjiro followed what he was saying. "Alright, let's do this."

"One final thing. Right now you only have enough Mana to remove one block, and the stronger the block, the more Mana you will need, zam. And once Mana is lost, it cannot be regained. Choose carefully."

Taking these words to heart, Shinjiro thought very carefully about which block he was going to remove. When fighting Demons, it might be a good idea to be as fast and acrobatic as possible, so the sword looked tempting. On the other hand, If he lost his weapon then he would be in serious trouble, so the fist had promise as well. But deep down he knew what choice he was going to make.

Gripping the handle and pulling with all his might, Shinjiro pulled the axe out of its pillar and watched as it grew taller. A circle, similar to the one on the pillar of truth appeared and Shinjiro felt strength and knowledge pour into his mind and body. When it subsided he could picture himself swinging his axe into his enemy jaw with enough force to send them flying and then striking them in the back as they came back down.

"A wise decision, zam. The axe suits you. The technique 'Big Swing Slicer' Is yours. When you gain more Mana, you may come back to me to strengthen it, or remove the next block, zam." As he said this, a staircase appeared alongside the pillar, stopping at the very top. Looking up, Shinji could see another axe lodged in the top, preventing it from ascending any further. "For now though, you lack the Mana to unlock any more potential. So I will return you to your body. I look forward to seeing where your path will take you, zam."

* * *

With that, Shinjiro found himself back in Evil Academy, Juro was still standing next to him and looked glad to see him back. "Took your time in there! Come on, let's go!"

Shinjiro gave a quick thanks to Takehisa before following Juro back to the classroom. Takehisa smiled to himself as they left.

"I never thought I'd see a Persona user here. I had best report in to the boss about this." After saying this, he jumped into the shadows and disappeared.


	6. Chapter 5 The First Target

**Chapter 5 – The First Target**

* * *

After their productive trip to the shops and Shinjiro's introduction to Mana and what it could do, the group returned to the classroom. Paper now flooded the area, and Masaru was at the front desk, skimming over even more sheets before throwing them in a random direction.

"Where did all this come from?" Dai asked, moving paper off his chair as he did.

"I had someone steal them from a teacher." Masaru responded, not looking up from his papers, as he threw a second stack directly into Shinji's face. Ignoring it, Shinji decided to simply sit down and wait for him to finish.

After 10 minutes and Masaru throwing more paper then anyone bothered to check, he stood up holding a neat list. "Got it! A list of opponents organised from weakest to strongest! If we use this, we might just stand a chance!"

Snatching it from his hand, Shinjiro studied it. Most of the names meant nothing to him or outright confused him. Some were clearly groups instead of one person and a number was listed next to them to show how many Masaru expected they would have to beat. His eyes widened slightly as he saw Mei was on the list, fairly low but still considered enough of a threat to be considered. And there he saw the name of their first target…

"Agnus Torii?"

"From what I've read, he's strong. Stronger than any one of us. If we can defeat him, then we might just stand a chance against stronger opponents. He's where we should start."

"If you say so…" With this Shinji pocketed the list. "Where can we find him?"

"According to my research, he usually hangs around the training grounds. If we head there, we might find him. Just let us know when you're ready."

"I'm ready now."

"OK Then! Let's get this show on the road!" Juro yelled. The others simply nodded and filed out of the classroom.

* * *

Approaching the Prinny standing in the middle of the circle, Shinji was confused. "Wait a minute. I thought I saw an old man here before. Where is he?"

Surprisingly, it was the Prinny that answered, "Oh, that's Geoffery. He sometimes takes over, but only when Lord Mao's concerned, dood."

"Lord Mao?"

"The Overlord's son, dood. He's the number one honour student here, dood."

Masaru decided to cut off this conversation before it started, "Look we'll tell you about him later. Right now we need to get to the training grounds."

"OK, dood. I'll patch you through now." While the Prinny worked, Aki turned to Shinjiro.

"Hey, you ever travelled by Dimension Gate before?"

"No wh-" At that moment the gate activated and they found themselves in a void.

"-y? ... What the hell?"

"This is the inside of a Dimension Gate, we use them to get around."

"There's the exit point! Let's go!" Dai yelled, before seemingly flying towards a blue portal. Juro and Masaru soon followed.

"Just imagine yourself moving towards it." Aki said to Shinjiro before following his friends. After the others had left, Shinji tried Aki's advice and soon found himself moving forward, and fast too. When he finally reached the portal, he put his hand through it and felt something grab him and start pulling. He soon found his entire body sink into the blue light.

* * *

He soon found himself emerging into what looked like an exercise room, with Aki's hand around his wrist. Looking behind him, he saw the same blue portal in the ground, and he got the feeling that if he stepped into it, he'd wind up back in the same void.

"Easy huh?" Aki said cheerfully, relinquishing his grip on Shinji's arm.

Actually, it was. Then again he had experience using the teleporter pad in Tartarus, so it's not like there was much for him to pick up.

"You guys, ready? Cause when you are, he's over there." Masaru stated, pointing to a man who was in the middle of impaling several mannequins on a spear. The man had red hair which covered his ears and extended to in between his eyes and down to his chin. On his head was a beanie, similar to Shinji's own, with the exception of the skull on the front. His jeans were a faded, dark blue which worked well with his black v neck shirt and white short sleeved jacket. A pair of fingerless leather gloves covered his hands, which were still wrapped around the menacing looking spear. Turning he noticed that the five men were staring at him.

"What?" He said plainly, his green, snake-like eyes, staring at them.

"You Agnus?" Shinji asked bluntly.

"Yeah. What's it to ya?"

"We're here to defeat you!" Aki yelled.

"That so?" He said, clearly not interested as he twirled his spear, throwing the mannequins in all directions, "It's not fair that you all try to gang up on me. Wait… I know how to fix that."

Snapping his fingers, several demons jumped into the room. Half of them were shitless men with either axes or broadswords and the other half was consisted of women with belts for shirts carrying long swords or spears.

"There, now I like my odds. Let's see you get through my friends here."

"Tch, if that's what it takes." Shinji then drew his axe while the others pulled out their weapons.

"Charge!" Agnus yelled, his allies following his order and rushing at the five man group. In response, they too charged to meet their enemies.

Aki was the first into the fray, planting his fist into an axe wielding man's face, only to be struck in the side by a spear from one of his targets allies. Her victory didn't last long as she soon was soon hit in the head with a bullet, courtesy of Juro. A swordsman attempted to strike the young gunner in the back, only to find that the hatted man had very fast reflexes, and swiftly turned and shot his opponent in the chin.

Dai meanwhile had engaged in a duel with another swordsman, and the two seemed evenly matched. At least until Dai made to swing his sword, before striking his enemy with the axe he had quickly drawn with his other hand. Unlike the others, Masaru wasn't content with focusing his efforts on one target, and was dashing around the field, slashing at any enemy in his reach before speeding off to the next one.

While all this was going on, Shinjiro decided to test his new move on a nearby axe wielder. Remembering the technique, he channelled all his strength into an uppercut and struck his opponent directly in the chin. The unlucky enemy was sent flying into the air then struck in the back with the same axe as he came back down. The combined force of the axe and gravity was too much for him and he passed out.

"Oh? You're strong." A voice said next to Shinji. Turning he saw that Agnus was now standing next to him, his spear raised, ready for battle. "I'll think I'll take care of you myself!"

"… Fine with me."

With this Agnus smiled and thrust his spear forward, an attack Shinji barely dodged. Using the momentum of that dodge, Shinji swung his axe at his opponent's head, hoping to end this quickly. Sadly, Agnus was fast and ducked under the attack and rolled backwards before regaining his stance.

While all this was going on Aki had grabbed the spear stuck in his side and, instead or removing it, spun around, slamming the handle into his original targets ribcage with enough force to break off the tip. The now very angry warrior decided that now was the time to make his counterattack, trying to perform a downward slash against his injured enemy. Reacting very swiftly, Aki placed his hands on either side of the blade and, with all his strength, forced it to stop.

In his battle Dai used his opponent's stunned nature to impale him with his sword, stricking just below the ribcage. However before he could remove it, another sword nearly cut off his arm, and only by letting go of his own did he avoid it, "Looks like it'll be the axe from now on…"

Juro had taken advantage of the distraction everyone else had provided to climb to higher ground. There, he would repeatedly shoot anyone who got close to him, before finishing them with a special, explosive bullet, "Hah! That all? I could do this all day!"

Masaru meanwhile had finally stopped his hit-and-run tactic and was now locking swords with a large fighter. The men seemed fairly evenly matched so Masaru would have to be smarter than his opponent to win. Or cheaper.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" His opponent yelled, his voice suddenly much higher pitched which definitely had nothing to do with Masaru's foot in his groin. While the large man was reeling in pain, Masaru stuck his sword through the man's back before kicking him into a nearby spearman. With this done, he rushed to Aki's side and used his blade to hold the enemy axe in place, leaving Aki free to pummel the fighters ribcage till he collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Shinji and Agnus were still staring at each other, waiting for the other to make the next move. Eventually though Shinjro grew tired of waiting and tried to rush the red haired Demon. Agnus took this opportunity to try to impale Shinjiro again, this time aiming just below the running man's neck. Again Shinjiro dodged the attack but this time his shoulder scraped the blade and Shinji was delayed by the sharp feeling of pain. Using that slight hesitation to his advantage, Agnus spun around and thrust the blunt end of his spear into Shinjiro's gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"Looks like you got in over your head." He taunted, his challenger sinking to one knee as he tried to recover.

"Well, hate to tell ya this but…" As he said this he threw his spear into the air. Once he had done this, his hands started to glow blood red and he raised them high into the air, "Too late for regrets!"

With this mighty yell, he slammed his fists into the ground. At first nothing happened but then in a split second Shinji felt a burst of pain around his entire body as a pillar of fire rose from his beneath his feet, engulfing him. He screamed out in pain as the fire assaulted his skin, burning all it touched. Though it lasted only a second, the pain was enough that it felt like years. When the fires finally subsided, Shinjiro collapsed forwards, beaten by the incredible pain.

All the combatants had stopped to watch this display. Shinji's allies were feeling nervous, knowing that the same could be done to them. Regardless of this Aki kept fighting, managing to take out two enemies before they realised that he had started his attack. Masaru and Dai soon joined in, while Juro continued to snipe nearby enemies from the high ground.

"Heh, I knew you couldn't handle the heat." Agnus said to Shinjiro's broken body before turning to face the remaining enemies, making sure to catch his spear as it came back down.

"Where…

Agnus' eyes widened. It was impossible. There was no way…!

"Are… You going?"

To Agnus' shock, Shinjiro was standing, burned and exhausted, but still clutching his axe and still glaring at the Demon.

"I'm not… done yet!"

Before Agnus could get over his surprise that Shinji was still alive, let alone walking, Shinjiro charged, barely slowed down by his injuries. When he finally realised that his miraculously alive opponent was trying to attack him, Agnus raised his spear, planning to put this annoying man out of his misery once and for all. This plan would have worked if it wasn't for one very important thing…

Shinji. Was. Pissed.

And when Shinji is pissed, nothing can stop him. He proved this fact when we swung his left arm straight at Agnus's spear and broke the head clean off without slowing down for a second. Before Agnus could prepare to use his super attack again, the large battle axe was brought down on his face. He quickly rose, only to find something dark moving towards his face. With a loud crack, Shinjiro's forehead collided with his nose, breaking it and causing blood to pour out. Without giving his opponent the chance to recover, he raised his axe and slammed it into his staggered enemies gut, sending him flying at least ten feet back, over the head of every other combatant, who had stopped to stare in amazement at this incredible attack.

Agnus slammed into the ground with such force that it cracked. For a moment it looked like he was going to get up, but his strength failed him and he passed out.

All eyes were on Shinjiro. He was badly burned and bleeding from his shoulder. He was panting heavily and looked like he would collapse at any second. But no one noticed that.

All they noticed were his eyes.

Eyes filled with anger. Eyes that said 'I could kill every last one of you without breaking a sweat'. Eyes that showed no fear or hesitation, just anger and the confidence that he would win.

All of Agnus' allies ran. They didn't bother to pick up their dropped weapons or carry their wounded out of there. They all just wanted to get out of that room while they still could.

When all of them were gone, Aki ran to Shinji's side, just in time to catch him as his feet finally gave way underneath him. "We gotta get this guy healed."

"… Yeah." Masaru stated, still in shock that Shinji had won in spite of all his injuries.

Dai approached and draped Shinji's left arm over his shoulder while Aki did the same for his right. Together they pulled him towards the portal back to the main campus.

It had been difficult, but the group had won its first battle together. The Demons felt more confident having fought such powerful enemies, and that they had such a strong ally on their side. Shinji meanwhile entered the realm of sleep, his injuries too great for him to remain conscious.

* * *

"Yes sir. I'm sure of it, zam."

"Hmmmm, a Persona user you say… It looks like our plans just moved forward."

"Indeed, what should I do sir?"

"Keep an eye on him Takehisa. He might be just what we've been waiting for."

"Of course sir." With a final bow, Takehisa left his mysterious ally to continue his duties.

"I suppose I'd best get ready too. So much to do and so little time! But it'll all be worth it, as all things are." Turning the shadowy man left as well, intent in seeing this plan through, personally.

* * *

**Special Thanks to Hades Revolution for sending in Agnus. Don't worry, this isn't the last we've seen of him.**


	7. Chapter 6 The Way of the Fist

**Chapter 6 – The Way of the Fist**

* * *

When the group got back from their battle with Agnus, they rushed to the academy's nurse. Laying Shinjiro down on one of the beds, she began healing him, after being paid for services of course. With this done, the four Demons formed a circle so they could talk in private.

"OK, that was a good start. Only one of us was badly injured and we won the fight. But it's only going to get harder from here. I think we might need some more help if we wanna keep winning." Masaru said, looking to each of the others to see if they objected. Dai was the first to speak.

"I see your point, there were a lot more of them then there were of us. Sure they were weak but we might not be so lucky next time."

Juro nodded his head before speaking, "It doesn't look like this guy's gonna wake up anytime soon, and I'd rather have him with us for the next fight. We could look around while we wait for him to come to."

"Sounds like a good idea. You two work on that since your good with people. Aki, you wait here till we come back. Keep an eye on him. I'll go see if I can find out anything about our next target and if anyone knows how our new friend got here in the first place." All nodded at Masaru's suggestion and set off for their individual tasks.

Aki pulled up a chair and sat down on it, making sure that Shinjiro was in sight. While he waited, he decided to replay his part of the fight in his mind, analysing ways he could improve. After doing this several times, he concluded that the only way for him to improve was to visit Takehisa and get one of the blocks in his mind removed. With this done, he sat patiently; waiting for Shinjiro's healing to be finished.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dai and Juro had begun to wander the area, looking for potential candidates for their team.

"Maybe we should make flyers?" Juro suggested cheerfully.

"Or a poster?" Dai responded with enthusiasm.

"Or maybe one of those big campaign vans?"

"Yeah, that could work!"

"…"

"…"

"So… do you know how to make any of those things?"

"No. Do you?"

"…No."

"… Let's get back to looking."

"Yeah…"

The two were about to keep going when Dai bumped into someone mid turn.

"Hey! Watch it!" He said on instinct. Turning to glare at whoever he had bumped into. The women he had bumped into was clearly a Nekomata, her ears, tail and fury arms and legs were a dead giveaway. However unlike most Nekomata, this one actually wore clothes, instead of relying on her fur for modesty. Specifically she was wearing a white, buttoned up shirt with short sleeves, accompanied by a skirt, adorned with black roses. It was simple but effective and worked well with her red hair. She glared back at Dai.

"You watch it! I was just minding my own business when you go and turn right into me!"

"What? Listen you-" Juro stepped between them at this point.

"Whoa, whoa people! It's no-one's fault. It was just an accident." He then turned towards the Nekomata, "Please forgive my friend, he gets upset easily."

"What are you doing Juro?"

Turning back to Dai, Juro leaned towards him and started whispering, "We're meant to be finding allies. We can't do that if you insult the candidates."

Scowling, Dai turned and started to walk away. "What's his problem?"

"He's just got a bit of an attitude on him. He'll calm down eventually. Say, can I ask you something?"

"Make it quick."

"How good are you in a fight?"

Tilting her head in confusion, the Nekomata looked thoughtful before thrusting her palm forward, stopping about an inch from Juro's face. All this happened faster than even he could follow, and his reflexes were excellent. "That answer your question?"

"Heh, pretty good. But are you strong?"

"HA! Watch this!", Without hesitating, the girl slammed her fist into the ground. Not only did this create a small crater, but her entire fist sank into the earth. She swiftly removed it and, looking as if she hadn't broken a sweat, said, "Good enough?"

"That was perfect! I think your just what we need."

"Oh? What do you need me for?"

"My friends and I are gonna take on the toughest people in the Netherworld, till we're strong enough to fight the Overlord himself! But… we're REALLY outnumbered and we could use all the help we can get. If you're interested, swing by the nurse's later. I gotta look for more candidates."

"Hmmm, could be worth my time. Who should I ask for when I get there?"

"Well, I'm Juro but you should probably ask for Akihiro or Shinjiro. They'll probably still be there."

"OK. My name's Samantha by the way. I'll see you there."

"That's a deal. See ya!" With a quick wave, Juro ran off, glad he'd gotten at least one person interested.

* * *

Back at the infirmary, the nurse had just finished patching up Shinjiro before stating that she had to leave on an errand. He was starting to regain consciousness causing Aki to stand and walk to his side, making sure that his charge stayed in the bed.

"You need your strength back, just lay down for now. The others will be here soon."

"Ughhh…"

Shinji knew it probably wasn't best to argue and followed Aki's advice. When he was sure that the beanie wearing human wasn't going to disobey. Aki sat down again and started talking.

"You were incredible back there. I mean you took such a huge burst of fire and kept fighting. Most people wouldn't have even survived an attack that powerful, let alone beat the man who used it. I wish I had strength like that."

"Why?" Shinji groaned, still tired from the fight.

"Well… I guess it's to prove something."

"Get to the point."

"Heh. That's what I like about you. You say what you mean… OK, my father was a fire magician. He knew how to make flames out of thin air and make them do what he wanted. He always wanted me to follow in his footsteps. But I never could. Every time I tried to make fire, nothing happened. As soon as he realised I didn't have the gift, he threw me out. I didn't know what to do with my life. That's when I met him…"

"_I see potential in you. Perhaps the way of the fist is your calling."_

"He taught me everything I know, and I was a fast learner. For once in my life I was good at something and he was proud of me. Then he said that if I wanted to continue my training I had to come here. He said that something would happen here that would make me stronger. At first I thought that just meant challenging people. But now I'm starting to think that it's you. If I hang around you, I have a mission, a plan on how to get stronger. So I'll stick with you as long as I need to."

"Good. If our future enemies are tougher than that last one, I'm gonna need all the help I can get."

"Well, don't worry. You can count on me. And the others have gone to get more help. We can do this man."

Shinjiro let out a small chuckle, followed by a large yawn.

"Heh, You sound tired. Get some more rest. I'll wait here with you till the others get back."

Liking the sound of that statement, Shinji closed his eyes and went to sleep again. Aki smiled at the now sleeping man, feeling stronger already.

"Master, I hope I can make you proud."

* * *

"Takehisa wasn't wrong, sir. I checked him myself as I was healing him. This Shinjiro Aragaki has a Persona, and a powerful one at that." The nurse, Matildo, reported to the same man as Takehisa.

"Matildo, you have once again proven your loyalty. You must make sure that he is healthy. If not, all our plans could be ruined."

"Of course, sir. Have I ever let you down?"

"No, and now's not the time for you to start. Remember, this is the most important mission I've ever given you. Do you have anything else to report?"

"Yes. It would appear he is seeking out powerful opponents in the hopes of gaining the strength to fight the Overlord."

"Hmmm, Interesting. Then we may be able to kill two birds with one stone. Go back to your duties, I will look into our other project."

"At once sir. Best of luck with your work."

"The same to you."

With this the two figures left for their missions. Matildo smiled slightly on her way, content that her wait was almost over.

* * *

**Special thanks to Demons Anarchy for submitting Samantha and for issuing me the challenge to write this fic in the first place. If it's not too much trouble could you send in a little more info for me about her? I need to know if she still turns into a fist weapon or if she becomes something else. Also, let me know if you think of any more skills for her. If you can think of anything else to send in, go right ahead.**


	8. Chapter 7 The Flames of the Past

**Chapter 7 – The Flames of the Past**

* * *

Dai was the first to return, still annoyed from his run in with Samantha. He sat down near Aki and started sharpening his axe. Juro returned soon after, looking much happier than his friend. "Good news man. I might've found someone."

"Really? Who?" Aki asked, curiously.

"A Nekomata called Samantha."

Dai grunted at this, "We don't need her help."

"You haven't seen what she can do man."

"I don't care. Not everyone's as easy to impress as you are."

"Hey! I have very high standards!"

Aki thought that now was a good time to interrupt, "Guys, guys! Let's wait for Shinjiro to wake up and Masaru to get back. Then we'll talk about whether she's in or not."

The other men were silent for a few seconds before nodding. The three then decided it was best to remain in a peaceful, if slightly tense silence.

It took about fifteen minutes for Masaru to return, his face perfectly blank. "No one's heard of a human winding up in the Netherworld after death. This has NEVER happened before."

"But… Why him? Why here? And why now?" Aki asked, voicing what they were all thinking.

"I don't know… But I get the feeling that if we stick with him, we'll find the answers. We just need to keep moving forward."

The others nodded and Masaru took this as his chance to sit down. Dai and Juro then told him about their own progress.

"One candidate? Just one?"

"Yeah. Most people didn't take the whole 'defeat the Overlord' thing seriously." Juro answered, slightly depressed about the number of people who laughed at him today.

"*Sigh*, well it's better than nothing. Where is this candidate anyway?"

"I told her to come here. Hopefully she won't be too long."

"She'd better not."

With that the room fell into silence yet again. Aki was starting to get tired of all this, and hoped that this candidate would be here soon.

* * *

Shinji was once again visited by dreams, this time of his time at the orphanage with Akihiko and Miki. He remembered the times that they would play, the times they would fight, the times they got in trouble.

But of course whenever he remembered those times he remembered that night…

He could still feel the heat of the flames and the fear that channelled through him as he ran for his life. Only after he'd gotten out of there did his mind calm, only for his blood to chill as he realised that his friends might still be in there.

Akihiko came out soon and quickly approached Shinji and asked the one question he couldn't answer, "_Where's Miki?_"

When Shinji didn't answer, Akihiko's face filled with fear. He quickly started yelling her name and frantically looking for her.

He didn't find her.

Driven by a desire to save her, he rushed back towards the building. He didn't care what happened to him, as long as he saved her. The adults all rushed to stop him and no matter how strong he was, he was still a child. He couldn't get past them. The fires rose. For a second, Shinji swore he saw Miki against one of the windows.

Then the gas line ruptured.

The compressed gas only had to be exposed to a single spark to cause the entire building to explode. A combination of heat, light, sound and shear force knocked Shinjiro on to his back and left him disoriented. He felt like he'd pass out any second but he forced himself to his feet.

He wished he hadn't looked.

The building was barely there anymore. A few support beams still stood and part of the top floor was still there, though half of it was where the ground floor used to be. The walls were practically gone and the area around was covered in shard of glass. And the next sight he saw made him run over and pull Akihiko away, before he had the chance to see.

Because there, hanging out of one of the windows, was a burned, lifeless hand. It might not have been her, but Shinji knew that even if it wasn't there was no way she had survived the blast.

Miki was dead.

Akihiko's desperate yells were still in his mind, burned into his memories with the heat of the flames, _"I could have saved her! Why wouldn't they let me save her?"_

Shinji stood strong for his friend's sake, offering him a shoulder to cry on and an ear to scream his anger filled heart into. But deep down he felt incredible pain. His good friend was dead and his best friend was suffering and there was nothing he could do about it.

Shinjiro hated fire from that day on. He would never forgive it.

His dream then changed, he was still standing before the burning wreck but everyone had vanished. And there, standing in the middle of the destroyed building, was a man. He was tall and had black hair extending half way down his back. He wore read robes and in his hands was a staff adorned with a dragon's head.

Shinji approached him, noticing that he got older as he did, until finally he was at the right age and was clutching his axe. At this point he couldn't stop himself from walking, or from raising his arm to attack.

The man slowly turned, revealing a smug, sinister smile on his face. Shinji saw straight into the man's eyes, but he did not see himself reflected in them. He saw Akihiro, filled with fear, before being engulfed in flames. Shinjiro swung his axe, his arm moving by itself.

The man vanished. Raising his head, Shinjiro saw yet another horrifying sight. He saw his new allies hung up like scarecrows, their bodies burning. Beyond them, he saw SEES in the same way, too far away to tell if they were alive or dead. There was one figure missing and one who did not burn. Akihiro was directly in front of him but the flames dared not touch him. Hamuko, was nowhere to be seen.

Slowly, Akihiro raised his head and began to speak, in a voice that was not his own, sounding more like a thousand mixed together, "_Two pasts have come to join each other, leading to the same future. When the fires of Armageddon rise, the warrior of the Earth will fall, unless the blazing lightning becomes his shield._"

Shinji had no idea what this meant, but he got the feeling that he would remember it for a long time. With the message delivered, the bodies vanished and the fires along with them, leaving only darkness.

And her.

Shinjiro wanted to rush forward and embrace the girl before him. But he looked closely and saw that something was wrong. She was pale and clearly exhausted. She looked like she would collapse at any moment. Then she slowly raised her arm and pointed at the moon.

The moment it entered his vision, his mind was flooded with images. He saw a figure covered in black wings, an eye looking down on all of humanity, a golden orb surrounded by ghostly hands and finally a mass of darkness with giant red eyes. Each lasted for less than second but made him feel like his head was going to split open.

As he clutched his head in pain, Hamuko spoke in that same voice which had come from Akihiro, "_When despair fills the world, the souls of the noble will stand together and create a miracle. The queen will rise and fall in an instance, but inspire hope forever_."

As soon as she said these words, her body began to dissolve into light. Seeing this, he ran as fast as he could to reach her, the pain in his mind numb compared to the pain in his soul. He arrived just in time to touch her fingertips with his own, before she vanished completely.

It was all too much. The memories, the visions, the sight of his love fading before him, he couldn't hold it in any more. He screamed to the Heavens, loud enough that even all the anguished cries in Hell would be drowned out.

* * *

He awoke in cold sweat, his breaths short and shallow. He could see that he was still in bed and that the others were nearby, clearly discussing their next step. Feeling more awake than ever, Shinjiro stood and walked over to them. They turned to him and gave their greetings. After assuring them that he was ok, they told him about their potential new ally.

"When will she be here?"

"Soon hopefully." Juro explained.

"Right…"

Much to his surprise, Aki approached him and, in a worried tone asked if they could talk in private. Shinji obliged him and the two walked outside, stopping by the Prinny statue.

"What's wrong?"

"I was gonna ask you that. The second you woke up you looked… nervous. Like you were in pain."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not! I can tell when something's bothering someone and you are clearly in pain! I'm here to help you know. Talk to me, man!"

"… It's personal. Don't get involved."

"… Fine. But when you admit you need someone to talk to, I'll be there."

Shinji didn't answer, instead walking off to where the others were. Deep down he knew he'd have to talk about it eventually, but for now he was still trying to make sense of it. Until then he would bare the weight of that nightmare alone.

* * *

**…** **Man this chapter was a lot darker than I originally planned… Don't worry, the next one won't be like this. Next chapter will see an expansion to the team, I promise.**


	9. Chapter 8 New Allies

**Chapter 8 – New Allies**

* * *

With their conversation over, Shinjiro and Aki sat down next to the others and continued waiting in silence. Dai and Juro had apparently gotten lunch while they were away and were currently eating it, though just what this stuff was meant to be escaped Shinji. Masaru, for whatever reason, was sitting cross-legged on his stool, and seemed to be in deep concentration.

After what felt like hours, they were approached by someone. "Hello? I was told to ask for Shinjiro or Akihiro?"

At the sound of the voice, Juro leaped up and approached the speaker. "Hey! Glad you came!"

"Well it's not often that a girl's offered the chance to fight the Overlord."

"I like your attitude! Anyway, this is the rest of the team. Go ahead and introduce yourself to 'em!"

Stepping forward, the Nekomata pointed to herself and cheerfully said, "Name's Samantha! Pleased to meet ya!"

Aki was the first to respond, looking slightly redder than usual and standing to shake her hand, "H-hey, I'm Akihiro, but everyone calls me Aki." Samantha gave his hand a firm shake before turning to the longcoat wearing Ronin.

Unlike Aki, Masaru barely glanced at her when he spoke, "Masaru."

Dai did even less than Masaru, not looking at her at all, "Dai."

With no one else left, Shinji turned to face her, "Shinjiro Ara-"

Before he could finish, Samantha suddenly moved to directly in front of him, their faces an uncomfortable distance apart.

"You're kinda cute, you know."

Shinji had no idea what to say to this, so he decided to not say anything at all.

"Well if you're on this team then I've gotta help!"

Dai, who seemed particularly annoyed that day, stood up and glared at her, "Look Sam. We don't need your-"

For a second Dai said nothing, then he let out a howl of pain as he clutched his now severely cut face. Samantha was standing in front of him with her claws raised and a look of fury on her face, "Don't EVER call me Sam!"

Juro and Aki decided that now was a good time to take a step back. If Masaru had been paying attention than he didn't care as he just remained in his seat with his head down. Shinjiro seemed concerned that he might have to work with this girl but remained where he was.

Perhaps the scariest part of what just happened was how quickly she calmed down and resumed her invasion of Shinji's personal space, "So, why do ya wanna defeat the Overlord?"

"You just clawed me, bitch!" Dai yelled, his fury matching that of the Nekomata's from a few seconds ago. She seemed unconcerned by this, more annoyed that he interrupted her.

"That's what you get for calling me Sam."

"How the Hell is that fair?"

"It's not. It's a warning. I held back this time but if you call me that again, you won't have a face by the time I'm done with you." While her tone was calm, her voice had a noticeable hiss while she spoke, making it clear that she wasn't joking.

Dai was about to challenge her about this when his arm was grabbed by Masaru. "It's just some scratches. They didn't even draw blood. Get over it."

Even though he still wanted to attack the new recruit, Dai stopped himself, not wanting to test the Ronin's patience. He had done that once before and he knew that it would be best if he didn't again. Reluctantly he left, deciding to ask Matildo to fix the scratches for him. Aki figured that now was the time to step in and give his opinion.

"Personally I think we should let her in. I mean that was one of the fastest attacks I've ever seen."

Juro nodded in agreement and Masaru simply shrugged before turning to Shinji, "Your quest, your call."

Shinji thought about it very seriously. On the one hand, she was fast and strong, on the other, she seemed to annoy Dai simply by existing, was violating his personal space and seemed to have anger issues. This wasn't an easy decision but eventually he reached his conclusion.

"Alright, you're in."

Samantha's face took on a look of pure delight as he said this and she enthusiastically thrust her fist to the sky. "Yes! I knew you'd take me! I won't let you down!"

Aki and Juro went to congratulate her for being accepted into the team. Dai had returned but opted not to say anything, or even approach the others. As usual Masaru just sat there, showing only the faintest signs that he was alive. Eventually they all decided to head back to the classroom and plan their next move.

* * *

The group was talking happily on the way back to their base, or more specifically Aki, Juro and Samantha were talking while Shinji, Masaru and Dai walked behind them in total silence. When they finally made it, Samantha stuck her nose into the air and began to sniff around the door.

"You didn't tell me you had another friend."

Confusion rose around the group, only to be swiftly replaced with alarm as Aki and Masaru approached from either side of the door. Masaru drew his sword and Juro stood in front of the door with his gun ready. Masaru and Aki each raised 3 fingers and began to count down in unison. When the hit zero, both men kicked the door and dove in, quickly approaching the intruder. Much to their surprise, it was someone they knew.

"Torii."

Agnus smirked as they recognized him before looking past them at Shinjiro. "There you are. I was beginning to think you weren't coming back."

"What do you want?" Shinjiro was cautious against the hated man. While he had won the fight, he was badly hurt and may not have recovered completely. To his surprise, Agnus lost his smirk and began kicking up dust from the ground, looking strangely nervous.

"Well it's like this… You see… Um…"

"Spit it out or get lost."

"… I've never lost. Not until I met you. You beat me even after I'd injured you with my signature attack."

"Are you going somewhere with this?"

"… I need to know what makes you so strong. And… I think that that'll happen if I… joinedyourteam!"

Agnus spoke the last words so fast that the group had to think for several seconds just to make out what he said. When they did realise, they all recoiled in shock.

"What?"

"I… want to join you…"

Agnus said the words like they were foreign and confusing, as if even he didn't know what he was saying.

Shinjiro was once again forced to think very carefully about this, Agnus had been their enemy barely a day ago and this might just be a trick. On the other hand, if he was honest then he was a valid ally. Only one question entered his mind, "Where are your friends?"

Agnus let out a sad chuckle, "Friends? They were my followers. They stuck with me because I was strong. The second I lost, they left."

Shinjiro knew enough about pain and sadness that he could tell Agnus was genuinely hurt by this. He'd never admit it but he felt alone. He needed someone there for him.

He was probably going to regret this, "Alright, you can stay for now. But if you give me any reason to think you're gonna double cross us, then you won't have to worry about getting stronger. You'll be too busy breathing through a tube."

Despite the threat, Agnus looked overjoyed that they accepted him. "Thank you. I'll make you glad you said yes."

Shinjro walked past him, not making eye contact. "You'd better."

With a slightly tense atmosphere, everyone sat down in a circle. Aki was the one who asked the hugely important question, "So, what now?"

At this question, Masaru leaned forward, "Well, while I was looking for information about our friend here's situation, I heard an interesting rumour."

Dai and Juro leaned closer at the mention of rumours, "Go on."

"Apparently, the Overlord's son, is trying to find the Home Ec. Classroom."

Aki almost fell off his chair at this, "Seriously? I heard no one's been able to find that place and live to tell about it!"

"Well, that butler of his found out where it was and opened a gate."

Realization dawned on the others faces, "Which means…"

"We can use there gate to find it." Masaru now had the widest smile Shinjiro had ever seen him wear, which given his nature wasn't saying much.

"OK. You've lost me again. Why do we want to find this guy?"

Agnus answered this question, "Only the most powerful demons become teachers and the Home Ec. teacher is rumoured to be super powerful. But no one's seen him, or knows where his classroom is, not even the other teachers."

Masaru continued from there on, "He's one of the people on the list, and while I doubt we could beat him yet, it pays to find out where he operates and maybe find out a little about him."

"So it's a scouting mission?"

"Exactly. Now everyone better get ready, we'll head to the gate when we're all prepared."

With that, the circle broke and the group went to prepare their stuff.

Except Agnus.

"Umm, do any of you have a weapon I can borrow? You kinda broke mine in our fight."

* * *

**The team is growing and we're about to meet at least one of Disgaea 3's cast members already! How will their meeting with Champloo go? Will they run into Mao's team on the way? Does the author know the answer to these questions? Who knows! Anyway, here's Agnus and Samantha's character sheets:**

**Agnus Torii**

Weapon types: Sword, Spear, Gun, Axe

Skills:

unique only, as well as offensive and healing magic up to Omega

_Too Late For Regrets!_ (Agnus' hands burn blood red as he proceed's to smash them into the ground, the targets burn like wildfire as a pillar of flame explodes from the ground.) Description: _This is the last time you'll be allowed to breath!_ Range: 4 (two tile cross formation)

_Party Time!_ (Agnus' weapon glows green as he raises it into the air, and a flare of flames strikes down on the targets.) Description: _You wish you could do this..._ Range: 2 (x-shaped formation, deals fire damage with a chance of paralyze)

_Last Night On Earth!_ (Agnus' body glows white as a phantom figure resembling a dragon -Kohryu- appears behind him, and four pillars of light begin surround the targets until they explode.) Description: _He doesn't look happy_. Range: 6 (nine-tile square formation)

Appearance: somewhat resembles Minato, except his hair is red and covers his ears, also likes to wear a black beanie with a skull on the front. Has on a black v-neck shirt with a white short sleeved jacket and dark faded blue jeans. He also has on fingerless black biker gloves, and his eyes a green with slits.

Background: a demon who appears to be on good terms with Mao, provided he doesn't accidentally kill the glasses wearing demon out of anger. He also look's up to Raspberyl, due to the fact that she is the best Delinquent in school.

**Samantha**

Weapons: monster type

Magichange type: Fist

Skills:

Can use debuff's and fire magic up to omega

_Hell Prom_ (Samantha summons zombies that hoard against the targets until they are covered up, then Samantha kicks a ball of energy that destroys all the zombies, and the targets.) description: _Will you be my date... to hell?_ range: 10 (single target)

_Hellcat_ (Samantha jumps into the air and charges at her opponent, several other Nekomata come forth and begin to devestate the enemy, when Samantha crashes down, the ground explodes) description: _And here we thought girls were not good in a fight._ Range: 7 (star damage, one target)

_Feline Flourish_ (Samantha becomes a large cat like beast, similar to a werewolf except on all fours, and will fire a large purple ball that breaks the ground apart) description: _Not a very good house pet._ Range: 10 (star damage, five targets in a x-shape)

_Cat Barrage_ (Magichange form, where the wielder's right hand glows purple and shoots a ball of energy at the target, and the ground begins to break apart with pillars of light shooting out of the ground) description: _Only the best of the best can do this._ Range: 1 (adjacent target)

Appearance: similar to a Nekomata, except has on a skirt with black roses, and a white short sleeved buttoned shirt that holds in her chest size. Her hair is also colored red.

Description: A Nekomata who will just about do anything for any hot guy she sees. For the love of all that is unholy, don't call her by Sam, otherwise, your face will be unrecognizable.

**Hope you all enjoyed it and will be here for the next chapter!**

**PS. Before anyone mentions it, I know that Vergil will be in DmC and while I am slightly more interested now, He doesn't really feel like Vergil so I'm still nervous.**


	10. Chapter 9 Kitchen of Chaos

**OK, I forgot to mention this at the end of the last chapter. Even if Minato doesn't become a main character (Which could still happen), I need your opinion on something. I plan to, if nothing else, put in a flashback to the times of the living and if that happens, I'll probably address the issue of Minato's love interest. The problem? I am completely indifferent to the subject of his love life. So I'm leaving it to a vote. Post a review of who you'd like me to pair with him. I will allow you to pick Aigis or Elizabeth and while I'd prefer you didn't vote for Mitsuru, you can if you want (I always pictured her and Akihiko, just me?). You have till the time I post the next chapter to vote. Now that that's out of the way, let's begin.**

**EDIT: Ignore the previous message. Voting is closed. Don't bother voting, it will not be counted.**

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Kitchen of Chaos**

* * *

After giving Agnus Dai's sword, the group finished their preparations and made for the Dimension Gate. On the way though, Aki remembered something, "Hey, guys. I gotta visit Takehisa, see if he can burn off any of this new Mana."

Thinking about it, Shinjiro, Masaru, Dai and Juro all realised that they had some spare Mana to use, so a visit to the Ninja would be a good idea. So they decided that they would all visit him and then head for the gate. Since it was Aki's idea, he went girst.

It is important to remember that like the realm representing someone's potential rarely looks the same. For Aki, the ground was volcanic rock, the sky was full of storm clouds and the pillars were made of fire. It was chaotic and unstable, a contrast to the calm, solid form of Shinjiro's.

As always, Takehisa stood in the middle of this realm. Usually he didn't speak to those who entered, but today he seemed to have something to say.

"I see that you have finally found a path to follow, Zam. I wonder if following it will bring you strength."

"It will. I can feel it."

"Hmh, strength of body is not what I meant, Zam."

"Then what do you mean?"

"If you do not know, I will not tell you, Zam. This is something you must discover for yourself, Zam."

Aki sighed, acknowledging that the Ninja was as cryptic as ever and that it was pointless to try to force the answer out of him. Instead he simply went over to one of the pillars of fire and placed his hand on a nearby stone. It glowed brighter after a moment and the flame briefly changed to a bright shade of blue before returning to its original shade of orange. Feeling that he would be able to put more strength into the chosen attack, he decided it was time to leave and let the others spend their own Mana.

* * *

Like Aki, the others spent their Mana on strengthening the attacks they already had, since they lacked the energy to unlock something new. With that done, they approached the Dimension Gate and teleported to just outside the Home Ec. Classroom. Masaru turned to the others and began whispering, "OK, this is just a scout mission but things could get violent. So don't drop your guard and keep your weapons on hand."

The others all nodded and Shinji slowly opened the door and slipped into the room as quietly as he could. The others all followed, all doing quite well at staying hidden. Looking around, they noticed that the kitchen was quite chaotic, with uneven floors, spikes coming out of the ground and a huge pot right in the middle of the room. They also noticed that there was a delicious smell in the air, like someone had mixed the best smelling food together to create the ultimate aroma of food.

All of these points were irrelevant however, compared to one detail they noticed, or rather didn't notice. Agnus was the first to voice it, "Where is he?"

A voice answered that question for them, "Behind you, Boom!"

The group all jumped at the sound of the cheerful voice and turned to face whoever was using it. Standing there was a man with blonde spiky hair and a bandanna around his forehead with a crossbones symbol on it. He wore black and red overalls with flame designs at the end of the sleeves and pant legs. The front of the outfit however was white, and bore a striking resemblance to an apron. Wrapped around his left arm was what appeared to be an identical version of his bandanna. He was currently smiling at them, and he seemed to show no signs of hostility. In spite of this, the group remained on guard.

Well, except one.

"Master?"

The group turned to Aki in surprise. He was staring at the mysterious man with a surprised smile. At this the man's own smile grew.

"Akihiro! It is good to see you again. It has been quite some time since I sent you here."

Now everyone was really surprised. Shinji asked the obvious question, "So this is the guy who sent you to the Academy?"

"Yeah! He taught me everything I know about fighting. I didn't know you were a teacher here Master."

"I am many things my disciple. Like how milk can be used in many kinds of food, Boom!"

"I've done what you asked, and I think I've finally found what you told me to find."

"Is that so? Tell me then, what is it you found?"

"A purpose. To help my new friend get back to his own world."

"Hmm. A decent answer. Perhaps you are on the right path. In that case…"

The blonde man then jumped onto a bridge, suspended over the huge pot, "Let's see how strong you've become. You came here to fight me anyway didn't you?"

Masaru looked nervous at this, "This guy's powerful. If we fight him now, we'll likely lose."

"You're not fighting him. I am. Alone." Aki said with complete resolve.

"Are you insane? Even with all of us together he'd be at the advantage! You can't fight him alone."

"This is something I have to do, Masaru!"

"Not today! Come back later when you stand a chance!"

"… Let him go."

All eyes were on Shinji after he said this, "This is something he's gotta do. He has to prove to both his Master and himself that he's strong enough."

"Shinji…"

"So go get 'em Aki."

Aki smiled at this and jumped to the same bridge as his mentor.

"Nyahahahahaha. You have a wise friend. But they came here for a fight too and I can't deny them that. Students! Line up, Boom!"

Responding to the yell, a group of men and women in martial art robes filed into the room. None of them had any weapons and struck similar combat stances to Aki, "Entertain our guests while I test the taste of this dish!"

With the group of enemies turning to face Shinji's team, everyone got ready for the inevitable fight.

"Are you ready, Akihiro?"

"Of course, Master Champloo!"

"Then… BEGIN!"

Everyone took this as their cue to attack. Aki opened his assault with a swift punch aimed at Champloo's face. While the attack would have hot most opponents, Champloo was fast and ducked under it before countering with an uppercut to Aki's jaw with enough force to knock him several feet away, landing on his back. In spite of the force of the attack he quickly jumped to his feet and resumed his stance.

"Oh? I see you've been practising."

"You haven't seen anything yet."

"Nyahahahahah. Prove it with your fists!"

While master and apprentice struggled against each other, Shinji had just knocked out one of Champloo's other students and had turned to face another opponent, just in time to catch their incoming fist and counter with a head-butt to the face. The martial artist didn't look too fazed by this and quickly regained his stance. An axe to the ribs however, quickly fixed that, and left Shinji free to move on to the next enemy.

Dai was proving slightly less efficient than usual, as he was used to fighting with an axe in one hand and a sword in the other. However he was still doing well, using his strength to send an enemy into the air before crushing him with the sheer weight of his axe.

Juro had once again employed the tactic of getting far away from the enemy and sniping them from a distance. They were proving more resilient to his bullets than his previous enemies but by channelling a bit of energy into his bullets and firing several of them at the same enemy, they eventually went down.

Samantha was really doing well in this fight. She was dodging attacks and countering with her own, sometimes against more than one enemy. Right now she was engaged in combat with one of the female fighters, who was proving herself to be very skilled at dodging as well. The two seemed evenly matched and it was more of a matter of waiting for one of them to make a mistake and give the opponent an opening to attack. Fortunatley it was the martial artist who made the first mistake and swiftly found the Nekomata's paw planted in her ribcage with enough force to knock her into another enemy and knock both of them into the giant pot. She seemed pleased with this result before attacking another enemy.

Masaru and Agnus were standing back to back, surrounded by enemies, though neither seemed concerned. In fact Masaru felt it was more important to talk to their new ally, "You know how to use that sword?"

Agnus smirked as he responded, "Better than you."

"Really? You're not getting it mixed up with a spear are you?"

"How bout I show you how good I am?"

"Whoever scores the most wins."

Agnus nodded and without a word, both men charged at their enemies. Masaru struck out at the nearest enemies he could as quickly as possible. They all collapsed, bringing his tally to 3 quickly. Agnus had only hit one enemy with his actual attack but had flung the unconscious Demon into two of his friends, knocking them out as well, making their score even. The two continued like this, focussed on proving themselves better than the other.

Back with Aki, the fight had been at a stalemate for quite some time. Aki had landed a few hits on Champloo and had taken a few hits in turn. The problem was that Champloo's attacks hit with more force and even if they didn't, he could take more punishment than the young Demon. At this rate, Aki would lose and it would be soon.

"*Sigh* This has been a disappointing meal Aki! I was hoping you'd have a better flavour than this! Ah, well. I suppose the fire in your soul just wasn't strong enough…"

Champloo then leaped on to his back before propelling himself forward and sending a flurry of kicks at Aki. With his assault he leaped back to where he had been and turned back to his opponent, a smile on his face.

"To have blocked so many kicks… Your arms must be tired."

Aki didn't answer. Instead he charged forward and threw a punch at his mentor. Champloo stepped back to avoid it but found something seemed to come forth from Aki's fit and collided with his face, forcing him to the ground. He looked up in shock, his face staring directly at Aki's fist.

"I win."

Silence followed for several seconds. The other combatants had noticed the result of the fight and stopped to stare. The silence was finally broken by the unmistakable sound of Champloo laughing.

"Nyahahahahahaha. Excellent! You have come far Aki! Clearly you've been cooking at high heat, Boom!"

Champloo's apprentices took this as a sign to stop fighting and sat down. Aki helped Champloo to his feet, so he could dismiss his students.

"Aki, you did well in this battle, and you have clearly gotten stronger than when we last met. But meat must be well cooked before you apply additional ingredients."

"I… don't understand."

"I mean that you are strong, but the path of true strength is long and only the strongest may learn its secrets. You are not yet at the level to learn these secrets but you have made a good first step. Soon you will be ready and when you are, I will teach them to you."

"You will?"

"What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't?"

"Thank you, Master. I'll make you proud."

"I know you will, Boom!"

The group turned to leave with the exception of Shinjiro who still had his eyes locked on Champloo.

"Yes?"

"I have a few things I wanna know and you're going to tell me."

"Oh? Ask away then my young friend!"

"First, Aki defeated you, but you said he wasn't strong enough to learn what you know. Why?"

"There are many kinds of strength in the world. Yes his body is strong, but there is another strength he needs if he wishes to learn the secrets I can teach. And that is a strength he must find himself, though I get the feeling that you will help him on his way."

"…"

"You had another question?"

"Yeah, what's that smell?"

"You like it? It's my speciality!"

"I've cooked a lot of things in my life but none of them have ever smelled that good."

"Oh, a fellow cook? Well then, as one chef to another, here's one of my special recipes! Eat well my friend, Boom!"

Champloo then handed the recipe to Shinji, who accepted it and gave a quick thanks before leaving and catching up with the others, who were caught in an argument over who beat more enemies, each insisting it was them.

* * *

Champloo stared at the group as they left, a smile on his face. A figure soon approached him from behind. The man had white hair which shrouded his eyes and was wearing red jeans and a ragged white mantle which enveloped most of his body. A katana could just be seen under his cloak.

"You went easy on him."

"My goal was never to win, just see how strong he was."

"You act as if you knew he'd come."

"Of course I did! Who do you think spread the rumour about Mao coming to find me? And who do you think kept the portal open so he could?"

"You are a devious one. Does he meet your standards?"

"He's getting there. And the Persona user is just what I had hoped for, even if he didn't actually use the thing."

"He didn't?"

"I sense something is holding him back. We need to find a way to fix that."

"I will get to work on that later."

"You're here for a reason? Be quick, I've got roast to cook."

"The PTA is focusing on that delinquent girl."

"Hmmm, we need her for our plans and she isn't strong enough to fight them herself. Hopefully Almaz will convince Mao to help but…"

"But?"

"He might not, and I need to make sure that all of the ingredients are ready for the main course. So I'll go myself and intervene if necessary."

"Very well, should I alert the others of the progress?"

"Yes, and tell them to get some new weapons and armour in stock. We're gonna need everyone prepared for the battles ahead."

"Very well sir. Good luck on your mission."

"The same to you my friend."

Without another word both me left, each with a mission in mind and each determined to make it work.

* * *

**OK, the plot is moving forward, slowly but it's getting there. What was the "Something" that left Aki's hand? What is Champloo planning? Will the author stop asking questions he knows the answer too? Find out next time (Maybe)!**

**Don't forget to vote for who should be Minato's love interest. We've already got one vote from a good friend of mine and your votes matter (She voted for Mitsuru if you're curious).**

**EDIT: Again, voting is closed, ignore that last sentance.**


	11. Chapter 10 The Sweetest Taste

**OK, before I start this chapter, I should announce the results of the "Minato's love interest poll". The results are:**

**Yukari: 3 votes**

**Fuuka: 3 votes**

**Mitsuru: 1 vote**

**Everyone else: 0 votes**

**I'm sure you can see the problem here. And while I would have preferred that one of my readers cast the deciding vote, I instead had to take it to my good friend MissHanamura (Check out her stories if you haven't btw) meaning the winner is…**

**Fuuka Yamagishi!**

**So for the benefit of flashback scenes and, potential character development for Minato should he become a main character, Fuuka will be his love interest. Sorry everyone else, the people have spoken. With that out of the way, let's move on to the story.**

* * *

**Chapter 10 – The Sweetest Taste**

* * *

The group walked back to the classroom in high spirits. Aki was pleased to have met his mentor again and even more so that he was able to face him combat. Masaru and Agnus were still arguing over who beat the most enemies, though neither was taking it seriously. Samantha and Juro were having their own conversation about the benefits and disadvantages of close range and long range combat.

Shinjiro was further back than the others, looking over the recipe. He couldn't see anything wrong with the instructions and they all made sense. Some of the ingredients weren't familiar to him, but he was sure he could find them.

Looking at the recipe, he remembered one of the nights he had been with SEES before his death.

"_Hey Shinjiro-senpai!" Hamuko greeted, cheerfully. He had just entered the room and already he could smell something. Something strong and sweet._

"_Me and Fuuka were just making some sweets, you wanna join us?" Usually Shinjiro would have denied such an offer, after all he didn't want to get too close to anyone. But every time he was with her everything seemed OK in his life. Even the fact he would soon die seemed irrelevant. _

_Plus last time he let Fuuka cook was a memory he'd rather forget and he'd prefer to supervise her._

"_Alright. Guess I can help for a little."_

_Hamuko's smile only got bigger at this and she quickly handed him an apron from nearby. The two walked into the kitchen together and the smell only got stronger. It seemed to flood the entire area and assault anyone in the area. He looked over at the various pots, pans and other tools that the two were using. Right now everything looked OK, there were no signs that something had slipped into the mix where it wasn't welcome, no evidence that the measurements were wrong and the kitchen was still clean and not on fire._

_All in all an improvement from Fuuka's last attempt._

"_What do you need me to do?" _

"_We need someone to mix the chocolate while I prepare the baking tray and Fuuka gets the dough ready."_

_With a quick nod, Shinji washed his hands, put on the apron he'd been given and got to work mixing. He hadn't made many sweets in his life as he preferred to make meals and savoury food, however he understood the basics and began to stir. Now that he was holding the pot, he understood where the smell was coming from. The chocolate was what was making it and now that he was next to it, it was the most noticeable thing in the room. _

_Eventually, everything was ready and the three mixed the chocolate and the dough and poured it into small lumps on the baking tray. With that done, they put the tray in the oven and waited for them to finish cooking. Soon, another figure approached them._

"…" _Despite saying nothing, everyone knew what the blue haired boy was thinking. Without saying a word, his body language asked what they were doing._

"_We're making cookies Minato! You wanna try one when their done?"_

_Minato thought for a moment. Hamuko was great with sweets so there was a good chance they were delicious. However Fuuka had made things that would send a lesser man to hospital. And then there was Shinjiro, who's cooking he had never tried before, making him an unknown in the equation. Finally, he gave a small nod and sat on a nearby stool._

_After a few minutes, the timer Hamuko had set began to ring, signalling that the cookies were done. Shinjiro carefully removed them from the oven and set them somewhere where they could cool properly. Hamuko looked cheerful about the outcome, even though she hadn't tasted them yet. Fuuka meanwhile looked nervous, as if she could already tell they tasted bad. Minato looked as indifferent as ever, but was currently eyeing the cookies the same way he would an enemy Shadow, analysing the best way to destroy it._

_Five minutes later, the group deemed them cool enough to eat and, before any of them could react, Minato had one in his hand and was taking a bite out of it. All eyes were on him as he chewed the chocolate filled biscuit. His face looked as neutral as ever, doing nothing to show his emotions or his opinions. After swallowing what was in his mouth, he paused, before turning to Fuuka, who he noticed was particularly nervous, and said, "It's delicious."_

_Fuuka let out the breath she was holding and Hamuko let out a silent cheer. Soon both of them had taken cookies of their own and began happily chewing on them, quickly agreeing with Minato about the taste. Seeing that he was done, Shinji decided that now was the time to leave. He was halfway up the stairs when he felt a hand tug on his sleeve._

"_Don't think you're getting away without trying one Senpai." Hamuko's unmistakable voice rang in his ears and he found himself turning to face her. There she was with one of the cookies in her hand, extending it towards him._

"_I'm not big on sweets."_

"_Come on! It's not like its poison. Just try it!"_

_The longer he stood there, the more he realised that he would be eating that cookie even if she had to make him. With a small sigh, he took the sweet into his hands and took a bite._

_It was perhaps the best thing he'd ever tasted. Everything about it was right. The texture, the ratio of biscuit to chocolate and especially the taste. All of it was perfect. Of course he wouldn't put it like that._

"_It's good. You and Fuuka did well."_

_Turning swiftly and continuing his ascent, he barely caught her smile and only just heard what she said next, "You as well, Senpai."_

_He'd have to cook with them again. Maybe that was what made this taste so good._

Snapping back to reality, Shinjiro noticed that his flashback had given him quite the appetite. He brought this up to the others and they all agreed that they were pretty hungry and decided to get some food from the main hall.

When they arrived though, they noticed something, everyone seemed more enthusiastic than usual. Some were doing exercises in the middle of the room, some were practising with their weapons and a lot of them were lining up for the Dimension Gate.

"What's going on?" Shinjiro asked his Demonic allies. Aki, Masaru, Dai and Juro all looked as confused as him. Then again they did spend all their time in an obscure classroom making almost no contact with the outside world. Samantha looked like she knew what was going on, but before she could say anything, Agnus interrupted.

"I know this! It's the moment everyone in the school is waiting for! The battle to determine the Class Leader!"

* * *

**I admit this was mostly just to fit in some interactions with SEES. I originally planned to just go straight to the class leader battle, but then I got the idea for the flashback. Also I apologise if anything I said during the cooking section is wrong. I haven't cooked anything in a LONG time.**

**Thanks to everyone who voted last time and I apologise to everyone who didn't get the love interest they wanted.**

**Next time will be some violence and maybe a little something extra which I hope you'll all enjoy. Until then.**


	12. Chapter 11 Class Leader Brawl

**Chapter 11 – Class Leader Brawl**

* * *

The group of six watched as people ran back and forth, grabbing items, stealing items and paying visits to Takehisa, who still looked as calm as ever. Also, despite the fact that the battle for class leader hadn't gone on very long, there were already a lot of people, mostly Prinnys, lining up for healing.

Agnus was excited, this was the time in the school year where anyone who was anyone was fighting and he planned to be right there with them.

"Come on come on! Let's go fight some guys! With all of us, I bet we can win!"

Shinjiro let out a sigh before addressing the suddenly hyper demon, "We don't have time for this. We need to plan our next move."

Surprisingly, Masaru cut into the conversation, "Actually, I think we should listen to him. Think about it. Everyone is here aiming for that title. It'll be easy to find our targets and knock even more heads on the way."

Aki seemed happy with this, "Yeah, plus Master said I needed to get stronger, and how better than fighting all these guys!"

"Sounds like fun, count me in!" Juro hastily added, with Dai nodding in approval. Samantha also looked enthusiastic. Shinji realised that the others had all made up their minds, so he might as well join them and share the training.

"Fine. But I want to make sure that we're ready. Get healed, check your weapons and armour and make sure you pay a visit to Takehisa."

All of them nodded and divided into groups. Masaru and Agnus went to look at weapons, Dai and Juro checked what armour they could afford while Aki and Samantha decided to unlock some of their potential with Takehisa. That left Shinjiro to decide what to do while they got ready. Since he was still hungry, he thought it was best to get something to eat and then meet up with them when he was done.

* * *

The food was decent at best, nothing special. To be honest, Shinjiro didn't even know what he'd just eaten. All he knew was that it looked the least disgusting out of his choices. It hadn't tasted awful and he didn't feel ill yet so he didn't have any complaints, after all he couldn't afford to be picky right now. His appetite sated, he went back to the main hall to see if the others were ready.

They weren't.

Masaru and Agnus had moved on from the weapon shop but were now looking at armour. Dai and Juro were now buying random items to keep themselves in good shape during combat. Aki and Samantha seemed to be finished and were just waiting by the statue. Since it was clear that the others could take a while, he figured he may as well visit the mysterious Ninja himself.

He was in luck, most people had cleared out and Takehisa wasn't busy at the time. "Ah, back again, Zam?"

"Yeah. I need to unlock more strength."

"Then you have come to the right place, Zam. Let us begin."

With that Takehisa once again placed his hands on the side of Shinjiro's head and they found themselves in the void.

"Hmmm, something is troubling you, Zam."

"What?"

"Your mind, it is… less stable than it was before, Zam."

Looking around, Shinji noticed something that wasn't there before. A fire. It was far away but it was still there.

"What does it mean?"

"Things like this usually represent something that is affecting the mind. Sometimes it is fear, sometimes it is confusion, sometimes it is joy and sometimes it is sorrow, Zam. I do not know what this fire represents, that is something only you can answer... Or a professional psychiatrist but good luck finding one of those, Zam."

Shinjiro wishes he knew where the fire came from, but it was a mystery to him as well. He'd had a lot of thoughts lately and many of them could have potentially given birth to the fire. There was that nightmare he had after the fight with Agnus, which would explain the form it took. But if so, why wasn't it here last time he visited? Perhaps it had something to do with his conversation with Champloo, but was that enough to change his mind so much?

Despite desperately wanting to know what the fire was, he knew he needed to finish his work here then join the others. Climbing the step up the pillar representing his skill with an axe, he approached the embedded axe and pulled at it with all his strength. It soon came lose and vanished, just like the last one had. And just like before, with the block removed, the pillar grew and the stairs extended to match it.

Neither man paid particular attention to it however as something else happened at the same time, something neither expected. The fire grew. Now it was closer and almost reached up to the platform Shinjiro was standing on. It was still far away but this development made Shinjiro nervous and he decided it was best to leave. Takehisa, clearly as confused and worried as him, agreed with him completely and the two soon found themselves back in the main hall of the academy.

Not wanting to think about what just happened, Shinji quickly walked off and joined the others again. Takehisa continued to stand at his post and wasn't surprised when he heard a voice come from behind him.

"What happened?"

Not turning to greet the man behind him, Takehisa explained to him about the fire. The man was just as confused as him, "Hmmm, I'd tell the boss, but he's busy right now with his other plan."

"The one involving Mao?"

"Yes. He has felt the need to intervene. It won't be long before our plans move forward."

"Excellent. The sooner our plans come to fruition, the sooner our enemies are defeated, Zam."

"Indeed. Maintain your post. I have to make some more preparations. Until next time Takehisa."

"May the wind guide you, Ruroni."

* * *

The rest of the group had been waiting for Shinjiro by the statue, some with new gear on them. Juro was now wearing what looked like a battered Kevlar vest. Masaur now had a pair of black leather shoulder pads and a new pair of shoes. Dai was also now wielding a new, slightly bigger axe and had replaced the sword he gave Agnus with a new one. Aki and Samantha looked the same but then again they specialised in hand to hand combat and speed so weapons and armour were just extra weight to them. Agnus also looked pretty much the same and looked annoyed that he didn't have any new weapons.

When Shinji reached them, they all gave a brief greeting before Dai stuck out a hand containing his old axe. "Here, It's sharper than the one you got and has a good weight to it."

Taking the axe, Shinji noted that it had enough weight to suit his needs but wasn't so heavy that it would take five minutes to swing the thing. It was an improvement over the last one, which he quickly stuffed into his bag, and he thanked Dai for it.

"OK, so who can explain to me what the deal is with this 'Class Leader' thing?"

"The Class Leader is a title that every student in the Netherworld wants. Whoever leads which year is the most powerful Demon they can offer and are the most likely to become Demon lords or even Overlords! Naturally since we're Demons, we handle the election with a big brawl, everyone who wants the title fights until only one is left standing. It's pure chaos and I've been waiting for it all year!"

Agnus' enthusiastic answer was all Shinji needed to hear. Now it made sense that the people on the list were going to be in one place, all of them want the position of Class Leader and will fight each other to get it. Now all they had to do was beat as many people as they can, maybe one of them would even win the title too.

"I think I get it. You all ready?"

Everyone nodded and they made their way for the Dimension Gate.

* * *

The battle for Class Leader was held in a specific part of the school and it is one of the most dangerous places in the entire Netherworld. This part of the school was constantly filled with lava and anyone who took the battle lightly could find themselves falling into the red hot liquid. Many candidates had met such a fate in the past, not that anyone cared.

When Shinjiro and his group arrived, they noticed that a lot of people had already been defeated, proving that the event had already started and that most of the weaker enemies had already been defeated. Up ahead, they could see a group of people who had clearly just finished fighting. The most noticeable of them was a boy with white hair and what looked like a red coat slung over his shoulders.

Shinjiro was about to approach the man when he felt himself be pulled back. The others quickly pulled him behind a nearby pillar and signalled for him to remain quiet. Soon Juro began to whisper to him, "That's Mao. The Overlord's son. He's one of the most powerful Demons in the Netherworld, and he hasn't even reached his full potential yet."

Aki followed where Juro left off, "He's right. Mao's already powerful and may have beaten all of these guys by himself."

"You don't think we can take 'em?"

"… He's strong and intelligent. If we fight him, it won't be easy." Masaru said in a warning tone. "Still it's your decision. What do we do?"

"… Let's try it."

The group gave a hesitant nod before emerging from behind the pillar and approaching the white haired Demon. As they got closer, they got a better look at his allies. To his left was a boy dressed almost entirely in white with a red scarf around his neck and a sword strapped to his waist. His hair was a dark shade of blue and his face seemed to show a belief that the rest of the world was crazy and he was being punished for daring to have sanity.

On the other side of Mao was a man with the same colour hair as the other man, though his was tied into a ponytail. He wore a black trench coat which reached his knees and looked like it had been through a lot of battles over a yellow button up shirt and a pair of equally worn black jeans. Perhaps his most noticeable feature was the pair of glasses he wore, as while the right lens was perfectly normal, the left one was black and bore a white cross on it.

Apart from these two, there was no one noticeable among them, only a group of Demons who looked suspiciously similar to ones they had previously met. They were able to figure out that amongst them were two melee fighters, one focusing on axe combat and the other being an expert in hand to hand, along with a healer and a fire witch. All in all, there were less enemies than in either of the last two fights the group had been in, but that wasn't enough to make them drop their guard. They all knew from experience that sometimes one strong enemy could do what several weak ones could never dream of.

The man in white noticed them first and turned to Mao when he did, "Uh, Mao? I think those guys wanna fight."

Upon hearing this, Mao turned and Shinjiro got his first good look at him. Mao wasn't particularly tall or muscular and underneath his red coat/cape, he wore a long sleeved black shirt and a pair of white shorts. The aforementioned coat was kept on his shoulders by a large chain. On his face was a pair of glasses which right now perfectly reflected the light of the room, obscuring his eyes from vision. His lips had twisted into an alarming smile as he observed his approaching enemies.

"So, more fools dare to challenge me? I bet they'd work great for my experiments!"

The man in white let out a sigh and reluctantly drew his sword as the trench coat wearing man pulled a revolver out of his pocket and aimed it at the group. The rest of Mao's allies also readied their weapons but Mao himself just stood there, staring at them.

Eventually Shinjiro's group stopped just a few feet away from them, their own weapons drawn. Each of them took a fighting stance and stared down their enemies. After a few seconds of silence Mao simply said, "Charge!"

At the sound of that, the axe wielder and the martial artist rushed to meet the group. In response, Dai and Aki ran to meet them. Aki and the martial artists fists collided and both tried to attack with their free hand, naturally meeting the same result. With both their fists trying to overpower the enemies, both men attempted to head butt the other, resulting once again in a stalemate which would be determined by who had greater strength.

Dai had also blocked his enemies axe with his own and had attempted to make a swing at him with his sword. Surprisingly his opponent performed a back flip and dodged the blade entirely before charging forward and performing a diagonal slash with his large axe. Dai back stepped to avoid it but found the blade grazing him on the shoulder before he was out of range. His sword arm wouldn't be as effective now so he would have to be careful.

Noticing that his first wave of minions had been blocked, Mao signalled for the next two to attack. With the signal given, the team healer fired an arrow at them, which was narrowly caught by Samantha who decided to deal with the pesky archer. Naturally her prey ran and proved to be surprisingly fast, managing to run and fire arrows backwards. The witch on the other hand decided that now was the time to use her magic and sent a burst of it at the team. Agnus took the brunt of the blast but was used to fire so it didn't hurt him much. However it had made him choose her as his target and he set off to stop her, dodging various fireballs and sudden pillars of fire that emerged from the ground.

Now that most of his allies were occupied, Mao decided to send the two unknowns at Shinjiro. The man in the trench coat proceeded to fire a bullet at each of them. Aiming quickly, Juro fired his own bullets and, either by skill or luck, managed to hit the incoming bullets and deflect them. Both men observed each other before running in a random direction, firing at each other the whole time.

That left the unhappy looking man in white to continue walking towards them, his sword drawn and in a battle ready stance. Calmly, Masaru raised his own sword and walked to meet him, but not before signalling at Mao, giving the silent message for Shinji to focus on him. When Masaru and the man in white were about 5 feet away from each other they both stopped and a second later both their swords were in the air, meeting in the middle. They remained like this for a moment before both pulled their blades back and readopted their stances, ready to strike at any moment.

That left only Shinjiro and Mao. Seeing that there was one enemy left and no servants to deal with it for him, Mao finally drew his sword and, in the blink of an eye, jumped and swung at Shinjiro, who was only just blocked it with his axe. Despite his appearance, Mao was strong and was applying a lot of pressure with his attack. Knowing that if he continued blocking Mao would just force his own weapon down on him, Shinjiro jumped back slightly, the sudden movement causing Mao's blade to swing straight into the ground. Before Shinji could recover though, Mao forced the blade out and charged at him again, once again forcing Shinji to block.

This wasn't good. Mao was vicious and had the strength to back up his attacks. Shinji couldn't afford to just attack blindly or the faster Mao would just annihilate him. He had to think of a plan. But with the enemy still attacking in, planning was proving challenging.

Aki wasn't faring much better. He and his enemy had finally stopped trying to overpower the other and were now trying to settle their battle with skill. Each of them was throwing punches and kicks but very few of these attacks landed. Eventually Aki tried to perform a leg sweep on the other martial artist, but found his efforts rewarded by his enemy jumping over it and slamming his own foot into Aki's skull, forcing his face into the ground at the same time.

If Aki was doing badly, Dai was doing worse. The injury to his shoulder had made it so he could barely use his sword and he quickly found that his enemy was faster than him and was delivering more rapid attacks on him. In response, he was forced to drop his sword and focus only on his axe. Despite losing the weight of the sword, making him faster, he could not keep up with his enemy and quickly found himself kneeling, using his axe as a shield against the warrior's furious assault.

Agnus, while in better condition, hadn't made much progress in his attempts to reach the enemy witch. Her numerous attacks were keeping him at a distance and forcing him to rapidly dodge, which was quickly proving to be exhausting not helped by one instance where in order to avoid a fireball followed by a pillar of flames, he was forced to run up one of the stone pillars littering the area and kick off it, landing slightly painfully afterwards. If he didn't reach her soon, he was going to slip up and then it would be over.

Feeling very annoyed, Samantha was still following the surprisingly fast healer, who continued to fire arrows back at her. While none of the arrows had hit yet, if one did, it would severely hinder her attempts to chase her prey. The healer then tried a very strange tactic. She turned to face the pursuing Nekomata and readied her bow, however there was no arrow. Instead she had embedded the bow in the ground and proceeded to jump, the string somehow providing enough strength to send her and in turn the entire bow flying past her pursuer. But not before releasing some energy she had charged up prior to this strategy in the form of an explosion. Directly over Samantha's head. It hurt, a lot and it took a moment for her to regain her senses and she did just in time to feel an arrow pierce her leg. This was bad, she had failed to catch the healer before and now one of her legs was injured. How could she catch her now?

Bullets were still flying around the arena as Juro and the trench coat wearing man still fired shots at each other, neither hitting but neither giving up either. Both of them were now at the highest point of the area, staring at each other, trying to figure out the best moment to fire. The blue haired man smirked slightly as his gun began to glow slightly. Juro noticed this and grabbed several nearby stones. At the same instant, the enemy fried and Juro threw his rocks with the same speed as bullets. One of the rocks hit the bullet which exploded, knocking Juro back with its force, him just holding on to the edge of the platform he was previously standing on. At the same time, the rocks he threw collided with his enemies face and forced him off his own perch and he too only just grabbed on. While this would seem to be a stalemate, it was not, as there was one very important difference between the two men's situation. Juro had dropped his gun, the other man hadn't. With a bullet soon piercing Juro's arm, he lost his grip and fell, landing back first on a large rock. The pain was too much and he found himself passing out.

The man in white was proving to be a challenging opponent for Masaru, matching him blow for blow. Despite his nervous appearance, he was a very skilled swordsman. Each was trying to pierce the other's defence and neither could quite pull it off. Masaru was starting to get annoyed while his opponent just continued to look nervous. The angrier Masaru got, the less thought was put into his attacks, making it easier for his opponent to block and dodge them. Eventually Masaru was just swinging wildly and the other man was easily dodging all of his attacks. Finally the blue haired swordsman decided to counterattack, but in an interesting way. First he put his sword's handle into his mouth, and then he made two more swords appear and somehow connected them by the hilt. With this done he jumped into the air and began spinning them, their blades knocking away Masaru's attempt at blocking the attack and leaving numerous cuts along his chest. The man finished his assault by stabbing both blades into his shoulder and jumping behind him before removing the sword from his mouth and stabbing him through the back with it. The injuries were too much and Masaru soon collapsed.

Mao's assault was still as relentless as before. Shinji couldn't remember the last time he had been forced to take a defensive role in a fight but so far he hadn't had the opportunity to attack. His arms were getting tired but Mao didn't seem exhausted at all. He would try his new attack if Mao ever left an opening but he never did. At this rate he'd lose and soon. There was only one thing he could think to do but it was something that he was afraid to try.

If he summoned his Persona he could probably win. But could he control it? Without the pills and in his current emotional state, what's to say it won't attack one of the others? What if it turned on him? How could he fight himself? And that's under the assumption that after he died he could still draw Castor out. Was it worth the risk?

Still blocking Mao's attacks, he looked around the battlefield. Aki, and Dai were in bad shape, they wouldn't last much longer. Juro and Masaru were out cold and their opponents were going to help their allies. Agnus was getting tired and it was clear some of the flames had hit him, so he was in no shape to stop the swordsman attacking him as well. Samantha had been hit by several more arrows and the gunman who had taken down Juro was now taking shots at her as well. They were losing badly.

He had no choice. He had to try. In the brief moment between one of Mao's attacks and the next, he reached for his Evoker, hoping he could pull this off. He managed to grab the pistol shaped object and remove it from its holster but was soon forced to return his attention to blocking Mao, which would need both hands. The next flurry of attacks was the most vicious yet, almost completely breaking his defence. He just managed to hold on and the second there was even the slightest pause in the attacks he brought the Evoker to his head and pulled the trigger.

"Castor!"

With a sound not unlike a window being shattered, a tide of blue energy covered Shinjiro's body and soon after a familiar figure rose from his body. The Persona Castor floated into the sky and all who were still conscious stopped to stare at it. Most were confused, wondering what exactly this thing was and how he had summoned it by shooting himself in the head. Mao on the other hand looked fascinated and strangely aroused, so much so that he only tried to block the incoming attack too late and Castor threw him across the battlefield. Mao's allies were nervous now, all looking at the thing with wide eyes and pointing their weapons at it. Dai and Aki took this as there chance to start getting the others back to the portal.

Castor released several attacks which forced Mao's forces back as Shinji's two remaining allies got their fallen comrades to safety. No one knew how to fight this thing and everyone was waiting for someone else to try. None did though, for as soon as the last of his allies had made it through the portal, Shinjiro's strength gave out, dismissing Castor and causing him to slowly pass out. The last thing he felt was two pairs of arms grab him and drag him away followed by the feeling of passing through a portal.

* * *

**I have to say that personally I feel this is the best chapter so far. I hope you enjoyed seeing Mao, Almaz and Castor. We'll be seeing more of them in future so I'm glad I introduced them now. Also special thanks to KO for Cross (The trench coat wearing gunner who WILL get actual character next time he appears) and to Hades Revolution for Ruroni. Until next time.**


	13. Chapter 12 Reflections

**Chapter 12 – Reflection**

* * *

Shinjiro awoke to find Matildo healing him. A few moments later, he remembered why. The fight with Mao and his team, summoning Castor and then collapsing from the strain, he remembered it all. And while his body was for the most part unscathed, he could feel that his energy had left him. Matildo was restoring it, but he could feel that the effects were slow.

He looked around the room he was in, wondering where the others were. None of them were to be seen but it was clear that they had been here too as the other beds in the area were messy, as if someone had just gotten out of them.

He wondered where they were and if they were okay.

* * *

Aki had gone back to the abandoned classroom that he called home. None of the others had gone there, though to be honest he was glad about it. It gave him some time alone to think.

His first thought was his battle with Champloo. He had won that fight, why didn't he win the last one? As he thought about it, another question entered his mind.

How did he defeat Champloo?

Thinking back on it, he wasn't sure. His Master had always been strong and deep down he knew that he was holding back in their fight but, to give in after one strike to the face wasn't like him. Especially when he was sure his punch hadn't hit. Why had he given in?

He looked down at his hands. Ever since he started training with Champloo, he had considered them to be strong, but now…

He didn't know what to think.

Some of his hair fell in front of his eyes and his attention drifted to it.

Silver.

No. Not silver. Black that he'd dyed silver.

He'd done it so he could escape the image of his father. But all he had done was take on the image of Champloo's disciples. Was he even himself or just what he thought he should be?

He couldn't answer any of these questions, so he sat in silence, hoping that someone could give him an answer.

* * *

Masaru was still in the main hall, hiding out of sight. He had been staring now for what felt like hours. His gaze never broke from her.

The blue haired girl who never talked.

He was amazed that she was able to find her way around the school regardless of any changes that sprung up overnight. He was amazed that she was able to say all she needed to without making a noise. Everything about her fascinated him.

But all that was irrelevant. What he was feeling now should be cast aside.

He had a mission and he wouldn't let his emotions get in the way. He had made an oath and he was going to fulfil it.

He had agreed to help on Shinjiro's mission, but not because he wanted to help the Human. And while he genuinely cared for his friends, Aki in particular, deep down he knew it wasn't for them either.

It was to become strong. Strong enough to do what he swore he would. Strong enough to see the flames rise once more, and burn those that had first lit them.

But could he become that strong?

He had lost to someone who looked like he was going to run at any moment. How?

Was his opponent just that strong? Or was he far too weak?

He needed to become stronger, but how? How could he become strong enough to wage his one man war?

He didn't know, but he knew that he'd figure it out. As long as he was alone with his thoughts he would always find a solution.

Until then, he continued to stare at her, hoping that one day he could speak to her, with his soul cleared of past failures.

* * *

Dai was in one of the many corridors, though which one he was unknown. The only thing mattered right now was that he was pounding his fists against one of the walls. His hands had long since become sore and his body was covered in sweat but he didn't care. He was too angry to care.

That warrior he fought had made a fool out of him. How could a guy with an axe that big be that fast? It didn't make any sense.

No. It made perfect sense. It was that he was better than him. He just didn't want to admit it.

The more he thought about it, the louder a voice in his head got, a voice he would rather forget. He had long since buried it but now it was all he could hear.

_You're useless._

_How pathetic!_

_Weakling!_

_Loser!_

_Hahahahahahah!_

With a scream of anger, he punched clean through the wall, the entire thing collapsing under the force of his fist.

The voice was still there though, still mocking him.

_**She**_ was still mocking him.

What right did she have? It was because of her his life was so flawed!

If it weren't for her, his body wouldn't always be torn. Because of her he could never make a decision, his mind always going in two directions. He thought he'd finally found something to make his body shut up by using the sword and the axe but that just made him slow and weak.

His eyes shot open as he felt a sharp pain in his back. He could feel something trying to push its way out through his flesh. No… it was two things! He could feel them pushing against his skin, begging to be released. He focused his mind, and soon after the pain subsided, the force pressing from within had faded.

He wouldn't become like her. Never.

* * *

Juro had found himself on the outskirts of the academy, looking out on to the void beyond. He noticed several rocks floating in front of him. Pulling out his gun, he started firing, hitting every piece of debris he aimed for. When he was done, he gazed down at his gun. His aim was perfect. He never missed. So why did he lose?

Simple, he met someone of equal skill.

That man, whoever he was, had matched him shot for shot. They had been evenly matched for the entire fight. It had been… exhilarating.

And then at the moment of truth, he made a simple mistake that made the biggest difference. How could he have dropped his gun? It was stupid! It was amateur!

But then again, the gun had always been his second calling, the one he chose.

He was born to use a bow. When he used one of those, he never missed. He could fire eight arrows from the same bow and hit just as many flies in the air. And no one could get him to drop it. Archery was always a skill in their family.

That's why he'd quit. He didn't want to be like his brothers. Eight of them may have well as been clones of each other for how alike they were. And then there was him… His oldest brother, the first and the best. No one could beat him when it came to the ways of the bow. He was the greatest and he knew it. But Juro knew what he was, and what he had made their other brothers into and he would never let it happen to him.

So he took up the gun and soon he was an expert with it. But he would never be as good as he had been with that bow…

No! He wouldn't give up! He would prove that he could do it! One way or another he would become the best gunner in the world, and then-

…

He only hoped that he could do it before more lives were destroyed…

* * *

Samantha didn't care where she was, she was too angry to pay attention. How could this have happened? How could she be so embarrassed by a healer?

Had she not gotten stronger since she came here?

If that was the case, then why stay? If she wasn't going to get stronger, than why was she still trying? Without strength, she couldn't…

Shaking her head, she dismissed those thoughts. She needed strength to help the people that mattered to her. Who knew what was going on there right now? She needed to get stronger fast or it would be too late!

She could only hope that the red haired kid from her home would keep his promise and keep them safe…

* * *

Agnus had returned to his training grounds, which had quickly been abandoned after he left. He started wandering around, hoping to find something he could train with. He came to a stoop when he stepped on something. Looking down, he saw a wooden pole with one end snapped. He bent down and picked it up and as soon as his fingers touched it, a sense of nostalgia washed over him.

It was his spear. The one he had use against Shinjiro. The one which he backhanded the head off of.

He had lost that fight too.

How could he beat an Overlord if he couldn't beat a single Human?

It wasn't the first time he had doubted himself. He had done the same once before so many years ago…

He thought he'd moved past it. But he still had a long way to go.

Until then, he'd keep practising.

He'd start by finding the spear head and fixing it. After all it was rude to just leave that man's gift to him broken.

* * *

Shinjiro was finally up and had started thinking about what he did. He had summoned Castor, as he had done many times before. But something was different this time. The Persona drained him more than usual. Was it an effect of him dying? Maybe.

But that wasn't all. Because the second he summoned Castor, he could feel it trying to defy him. He had to have absolute focus to keep it in control for as long as he did. He was starting to think it was a good thing he passed out, much longer and who knows what would have happened.

Was it because he didn't have the pills? Or was it something to do with the fire In his mind?

Either way he knew he couldn't take the risk again. It had worked this time, but it might not the next.

With that decided, he thought back to the white haired Demon he fought.

Mao.

Such power and ferocity were wrapped inside that body. It was a miracle he was still alive. But that just made him reach one conclusion. That he needed to fight harder, to defeat more Demons and become strong enough that he could beat Mao and his father. He had failed too many times in his life. He had failed to save Miki, failed to stop Akihiko from becoming obsessed with fixing his conceived faults, failed to stop himself from killing an innocent woman, failed to stop her son from becoming obsessed with hatred and revenge.

He would not fail again.

* * *

As he walked to the classroom, where he hoped the others would be, he was approached by a man in a black suit, "Excuse me?"

Glancing at him, Shinji stopped to see what the man wanted, he looked concerned.

"What?"

"I've heard about you. You're the one who summoned that thing against Mao."

So word had spread… He hoped it hadn't gotten too far.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I need your help. My friend, the famous delinquent Raspberyl, has been kidnapped. I need someone strong like you to help me rescue her."

The man's concern seemed genuine and if this delinquent had really been kidnapped, then that meant two things.

One: Someone is in danger, and he didn't like that.

Two: There would be plenty of people to beat up.

"Alright. I'm in."

The man looked both relieved and ecstatic, "You will? Oh, thank you so much!"

"Come with me, I've got some other guys who can help."

"Thank you again. I'm in your debt."

"Yeah, yeah, just tell me your name."

"Gin. What's yours?"

"Shinjiro."

"Nice to meet you Shinjiro."

Who knows, maybe beating up some kidnappers would make them all feel a lot better.

* * *

**I'm sure you're all noticing a trend with the characters by now. I wanted there to be two themes with this story and one of them was "The pursuit of strength". Because of that, all the main characters will seek it in some way for some reason. Forgive me if I start sounding like a broken record. And don't bother asking what the other theme is cause I won't tell you.**

**Anyway this was just meant to be a look at the characters and provide some foreshadowing about their character arcs. Don't worry they'll be some fighting next chapter.**

**Special thanks to KO for Gin.**


	14. Chapter 13 Rise of a Leader

**Chapter 13 – Rise of a Leader**

* * *

Having arrived back at the classroom, Shinjiro was surprised to find that only Aki was present. What surprised him even more was the fact that Aki's usual energy and enthusiasm had faded away, replaced by a contemplative look and depressed eyes. He gave only the briefest greeting before returning to his thoughts. Shinji however wasn't going to leave him alone.

"Where are the others?"

Aki shrugged, not even bothering to look at Shinji and simply gazed at one of the badly damaged lights in the room. Now feeling annoyed by Aki's complete apathy and depressed by how it reminded him of Apathy Syndrome, Shinjiro walked over to the silver haired fighter and punched him in the face. Hard. So hard that the Demon went flying off the desk he was sitting on and collided with the one behind him with enough force to send it into the three in the row behind it.

Angered, Aki rose from the small pile of desks and charged Shinjiro, his fist pulled back ready to strike. His efforts were met with a head butt to the face and a sudden collision with the ground. A hand then grasped his collar and pulled him up to his feet.

"What was that for?"

"To stop you from being depressed."

"What?"

"You lost a fight. Big deal. You can't win every fight and if you don't lose, you don't know what you lack. Don't think about how you lost, think about WHY you lost and eliminate that reason."

Silence followed as Aki thought about what Shinji said. It made sense to him, if he could figure out why he lost he could avoid doing the same in the future. But that didn't change the fact that Shinjiro had punched him in the face.

"I'm kinda angry now…"

"Then focus that on our next fight. There's something we need to do."

At this, Aki sat down, and for the first time noticed the suited man standing in the doorway.

"Who's he?"

"This is Gin, and he's got a job for us."

Gin took this as his cue to start talking, "My friend, the famous delinquent Raspberyl, was kidnapped by the school board and the PTA. I need help rescuing her."

Aki almost fell out of his seat at this, "The PTA? You want us to take on the Perfectly Trained Assassins? For a delinquent?"

"Ordinarily I wouldn't ask something like this. But she is my closest friend and I doubt anyone will help her if I don't do something. Please, I need your help."

As he said this, he lowered himself to his knees and placed his hands in a praying gesture. Shinjiro saw that his face was showing nothing but pain.

"She… means a lot to you?"

"There is no one I trust more. I want to help her! Please aid me in this!"

Shinjiro looked at Aki, who looked somewhat sad as he observed Gin's pleading.

"Aki. If it was your friend, would you go this far?"

With widened eyes, Aki stood upright, as straight as an arrow. After the longest ten seconds in Gin's life, he saw the silver haired Demon's hand in front of his face.

"Let's do this."

With a huge smile, Gin accepted the hand and was quickly pulled to his feet, "Thank you! I will repay you both for this kindness!"

"Don't thank us yet. We've got more people to convince."

"Of course. I know someone who might be able to help as well. I will speak with him if you find the rest of your allies. I will meet you in the main hall later."

Shinji and Aki nodded and Gin soon left. Shinjiro was about to do the same, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey. I need to talk to you."

"What is it?"

"What you said, about why I lost. I still don't know why I did. What was the reason?"

Shinji thought about the answer he was going to give, before finally turning to his ally, "I don't know, but we'll figure it out."

Not wasting time he then left to find the others. Aki stood there for a minute before finally realising what Shinji's words meant. He was offering to help him become a stronger person. He cared enough that he would do something like that. That made him smile before walking after him, determined that they would take down the strongest of enemies, starting with the PTA.

* * *

They found Dai first, wandering the corridors nearby. He had been easy to convince, Aki had just told him that there would be lots of guys to work out his anger on. The idea of it made him smile and he instantly agreed, even after hearing who their opponents would be.

Masaru was found shortly after and Aki pretended he didn't see his best friend staring at Pleinair. The other two genuinely didn't notice. While it had been more difficult to convince him, they had eventually succeeded when Aki reminded him that the school board loved to hypnotise people. Hypnosis was one of many things Masaru considered dishonourable, and anything that was on that list was something that offended him. He agreed under the condition that they destroy as much of the school board as they could before they left.

Soon after convincing Masaru, Agnus returned from his trip to the training ground, and the group talked to him. He was quick to agree, determined to do better this time. However he insisted that someone fix his spear before they go.

Samantha also wandered into the room around that time and approached the group. The idea of taking on strong opponents was all it took for her to agree to help, much to Dai's annoyance.

That left only Juro, who they eventually found, still practising at the outskirts of the Academy. He started off surprisingly unresponsive, not facing the group. When they mentioned the PTA though, he suddenly turned and became very interested in the mission. In fact it seemed like he was ordering them to take him with them.

With the team reassembled and all their weapons ready, they walked back to the main hall, ready for their mission.

* * *

They found Gin very easily, since he was standing in the middle of a grey room dressed all in black surrounded by people in more colourful clothing and with more vibrant skin colours. Standing next to him was a man with green hair wearing a black button up shirt with white cargo pants and a blue carbon jacket. A cheerful smile adorned his face and he was clearly the man that Gin said would help. When the group approached, the two turned and Gin moved towards them.

"Is this everyone?"

"Yeah. This your friend?"

The smiling man then approached and grabbed Shinji's hand, "Name's Saiduq, pleased to meet ya and I'm not just sayin' that cause I'm getting' paid!"

With his oddly specific introduction out of the way, Saiduq stepped back, never losing his smile. Before anyone could draw attention to his statement, Gin began talking, "I would like to thank you all for coming. I promise I will repay you all for this. As you know, my friend Raspberyl, is being held prisoner by the school board. I want to free her before they can begin to brainwash her. I'm sure many of you have questions and I will try my best to answer them."

Masaru was the first to speak, "Do you know where you're going?"

"Yes, I scouted ahead and found there headquarters. I would have gone in right then but there defences were too good. I'd have been captured or worse in seconds."

Agnus was next, "How long ago was she taken?"

"Not long, around the same time that the Class Leader election began. Since brainwashing takes time, that should give us at least an hour to get to her, hopefully more."

It was Aki who raised the most important question though, "Do you have a plan?"

"Only the beginnings of one. Unfortunately the inside of their headquarters is unknown to me, so we'll have to improvise once we're inside. I was thinking of attacking one of the side entrances. There less guarded than the front or the back so we have a better chance of getting in."

It was clear that there were going to be more questions so Shinjiro figured now was as good a time as any to raise his own point, "Hate to cut off question time, but you said we have a time limit. We gotta get going now."

This comment quickly got a nod of agreement from the others and Gin quickly led them to the Dimension Gate.

* * *

The side entrance seemed to have been their best bet, since there were only three guards. All of them were convinced that they could easily take them. Their confidence wavered a bit when one of the guards, without aiming, managed to shoot a fly with an arrow with perfect accuracy.

"Dude, what the hell?"

"What?"

"You just wasted an arrow on a fly! What if you need that?"

"It's just one arrow…"

The two guards continued to bicker like this while the third hung his head in shame, embarrassed that he had to work with these two idiots. This left all of them so distracted that they didn't notice the group hiding behind the corner, planning on how to take them down.

"I can take these guys." Saiduq commented, still smiling, as if his face was incapable of showing any emotion other than joy. Shinjiro stopped him.

"No, we tried rushing a skilled opponent once and it didn't work. We need a plan."

"Oh, and I take it you have one?"

When all eyes turned to him, Shinjiro recoiled slightly, not expecting that everyone would look to him. Even Gin, the one who led them here, and Masaru, the smartest of his group, were looking to him, waiting for him to tell them what they should do. Taking a deep breath, he started saying the most natural thing that came into his mind.

"Juro, you're skilled in long range combat, you'll distract them. Samantha, you were able to catch that last archer's arrows so you cover the rest of us. Dai, Masaru and Agnus, get inside when you get the chance and don't wait for the rest of us. Aki, stick with me, we're going to take down those archers."

"What about us? " Gin inquired, gesturing to himself and Saiduq.

"What can you do?"

"I'm skilled in several forms of magic. Fire, Ice, Wind, etc." Gin proudly stated while clutching a staff.

"OK, you're gonna help Juro draw their attention. Try and take one out if you can. What about you?"

Alarmingly, Saiduq's smile grew larger, even though that seemed impossible. "I'm a master of beating the crap out of people. Just get me in punching distance and I'll make 'em hurt!"

"Good, you're with me and Aki. Once we take down those archers, we'll slip inside and meet up with you three. You guys ready?"

Everyone nodded and got into position, waiting for Shinjiro to give them the order to advance. After a few seconds he uttered the one word they all wanted to hear, "Now!"

Juro and Gin immediately jumped into action, sending bullets and bursts of magical wind at the enemy. Since they had been caught off guard, it took a few moments for the guards to retaliate, but as soon as they did, arrows were flying everywhere. Most of them were deflected by Gin's wind spells and the remainder either missed or were caught by Samantha, who was moving with unbelievable grace.

Dai, Masaru and Agnus took advantage of the distraction and the support of Gin and Samantha and quickly made a rush for the door. Since the archers were stationed above it, the three didn't have to worry about forcing their way past them. Using his axe Dai burst through the door and the three soon vanished.

Juro and Gin were in trouble now, the former running low on arrows and the latter growing tired. Shinjiro and his two allies would have to hurry unless they wanted an arrow filled gunner and mage.

And then the arrows stopped. The two looked up to see that something else had drawn the enemy's attention. Shinjiro, Aki and Saiduq approaching from the roof.

Aki was the first to jump down at them, narrowly dodging an arrow on the way dwon, and landed in a kneeling position before upper cutting his enemy in the jaw, sending him off the ledge they were standing on.

Saiduq followed the silver haired Demon and as soon as he landed roundhouse kicked his opponent into a wall, knocking him out in one strike.

The third man was panicking now, there were two enemies advancing on him and he had nowhere to run. He was so focused on the two men next to him, that he noticed only too late that Shinjiro had also jumped, his axe held over his head. He saw him just in time to raise his bow to try to stop the strike. However this was a pointless effort, as an axe being propelled by the force of gravity will easily cut through any bow and the glasses wearing face behind it. In fairness to the man, despite his incredibly painful facial injury, he remained standing until Shinjiro personally pushed him off the ledge to join his ally.

The team on the ground smiled up at them and the two soon met up and proceeded through the door. As they ran, Aki once again got Shinjiro's attention, "Hey, what you did back there… That was real leader stuff."

Juro continued where his friend left off, "He's right man. You really took command."

The other three nodded their heads in agreement before returning their focus to running. Shinjiro was silent. Him? A leader? The thought seemed so strange to him but at the same time he felt strangely pleased hearing it in his head. Maybe he could be a leader. But right now that could wait.

After all they had teammates to catch up with and Gin's friend to save. The subject of a leader could wait.

* * *

**Sorry that the fight wasn't very long, I wanted it more to show how effective a leader Shinji could be. There will be a longer, more interesting one next time, I promise.**

**Special thanks to Demons Anarchy for sending in Saiduq and since the two of them are going to be in the next fight, I may as well include his and Gin's character sheets.**

**Gin**

Weapon: Axe, Staff

Skills: All magic skills including buffs and debuff's, as well as healing

_Dance Macabre_ (Gin summons a scythe and slashes the targets one by one.) Description: _Hope you know the steps!_ Range: 5 (x-formation with a chance of deprave)

_Final Masquerade_ (Gin summons five Death's, each wearing different mask, and each one dances around before they suddenly cut the target's in half.) description: _You can't party without a mask._ Range: 8 (nine targets in a square formation.)

Appearance: Palish skin with yellow eyes and glasses, black hair that goes down to his neck, and white bangs. He also wears a black jacket with black slacks, two white lines around the biceps and calf's. He also has black shoes.

Description: a guy who looks too much like Death the Kid it's ridiculous. He's also Netherinstitute's second top Delinquent, and he also happens to be Raspberyl's best friend. he and Mao get along like Cats and Dogs.

**Saiduq **

Weapon: Fists

Skills:

All fist skills from A Promise Unforgotten

_Let's get wild!_ (Saiduq summons a Chernobog and rips apart the enemies.) Description: _Death isn't exactly a good thing._ Range: 7 (single enemy with a chance of deprave)

_King of Beasts_ (Saiduq summons all monster type characters and herds them into a stampede.) Description: _Head for the hills!_ Range: 3 (three tiles, deals Star damage)

_Heavenly Ruler_ (Saiduq's body glows red as he raises his arm and his body lifts into the air, several pillars of light shoot out from a glowing red ring from the sky, and upon impact, breaks apart the ground.) Description: _Hasta la vista, commoners._ Range: 5 (nine tile square formation)

Appearance: pointy ears, blue eyes with slits, and somewhat resembles Ken. Though he's young, like Raspberyl and Mao, he is mature. He wears a blue carbon jacket with a buttoned black shirt and white cargo jeans. His hair is green.

Description: wage slave by day, and hero by night, Saiduq is up-beat and works for anything with the right price. He thinks of Beryl as a sister, and Mao as a cousin. He is also on good terms with monster type characters.

**PS. I'm kinda curious to know something. What team did you guys pick for the final battle with Nyx in P3. If you don't wanna tell me that's ok, I'm just curious. Personally I used Akihiko (Since he's balanced), Yukari (Because she's a good healer) and Koromaru (Because he's great in combat and generally awesome)**

**See ya next time!**


	15. Chapter 14 School Board Battle

**Chapter 14 – School Board Battle**

* * *

The school board headquarters was a strange building. From the outside nothing seemed particularly unusual about it but the inside was almost entirely empty. The only surfaces which could be walked on were stacks of books and mysterious floating tapestries, which felt like they would break with every step you took. The only source of light present was a group of blue flames, scattered wildly around the black void.

Shinjiro's group had been running for several minutes and still hadn't run into their allies. They also still couldn't see where they were going or how to get to where Raspberyl was being held. They were all starting to worry that they were going the wrong way when they spotted several arrows planted into the books ahead of them, a little blood on the side of one of them. At this sight they all abruptly stopped, some bumping in to each other in the process.

Kneeling down, Shinji looked to both sides of the walkway. On each side were several book stacks, taller than the one they were on now. With further observations, he figured out that the arrows had clearly been fired from these platforms en masse. Chances were that the targets had been the initial team as they went through, but there was no evidence that it was them or whether or not the target had made it through the barrage.

"Be careful, whoever shot these arrows might still be here."

The others nodded and they quietly began walking, careful not to alert any potential enemies of their presence. They got about halfway across when Juro heard something. The unmistakable sound of a bow string being stretched.

"Look out!"

As soon as he yelled this, he pulled out his gun and fired in the direction the shot came from. The bullet hit the archer in the face, which normally wouldn't have been that much trouble, if it weren't for the fact that he was standing on a very small platform hovering over a bottomless abyss. His scream could be herd for about a minute before he got too far away to be heard. Everyone looked at each other as a realization snuck into their minds.

If they could hear it for a full minute after he fell, so would every guard in the area.

With this thought firmly in their minds, they decided that stealth and subtlety had lost its appeal and began running as fast as they could. As expected, more archers began appearing to shoot at them, arrows raining down from their bows. The team was at a disadvantage as only two members of their team could fight back and one of those twos attention was aimed at using wind spells to blow away most of the arrows. That left Juro to fire back at the archers, a task he was proving very effective at, as a single shot would usually send its target into the void below.

Eventually the group got to a point where the book towers stopped, so if the archers wanted to keep shooting at them, they would have to fight on the same ground as the rest of them. Each of the remaining archers jumped down to the tapestry they were all now standing on and readied their bows. Thanks to Juro's efforts, about half of them had been defeated already but that didn't mean they could relax yet. There were still about ten left and there was just enough distance between them that they would be able to fire several shots before the group even reached them. Still they had to try and so Shinji, Aki, Samantha and Saiduq charged at them, with Juro and Gin attacking from a distance.

Each archer fired 5 arrows before they were under attack, most of them missing as the people firing them were used to firing from above and would either shoot to low or overcompensate and fire too high. Some of them did hit who they were aimed at but they were only minor injuries that the injured could easily walk off.

Samantha was the first to reach the archers and it soon became clear that the only reason they were so dangerous was because they loved to outnumber their enemies and attack from too far away for them to fight back. As soon as the Nekomata's fist collided with a random archer's ribcage, he was sent so far back that no one could tell if he landed on the platform or fell off it. The others were so distracted that Saiduq was able to kick one into the very pillar he'd been standing on, leaving him to desperately cling onto it, before anyone noticed he was there. And as soon as they did, Aki took advantage of that distraction to kick two of them in the head, knocking them out instantly.

The remaining six were panicking, they were surrounded and their enemies were too fast to hit with their arrows. One of them was so panicked that he was pointing his bow in every direction, trying to decide where to fire. He finally decided to fire when he turned and came face to face with Shinjiro. The arrow was intended to hit its target between the eyes and it would have, had it not been the fact that the guy was shaking so much and hesitated enough that Shinji only had to tilt his head slightly to cause it to miss and hit one of the other archers in the eye.

With no arrow in his bow, the panicked man was quickly grabbed by the more intimidating man and used as a shield against the slightly more accurate enemy's attacks. As soon as four arrows had been sunk into the poor man's chest, Shinji raised him over his head and threw him into two more, knocking them all out. The remaining two were backing off, too afraid to look away from their attackers and too shaken to even draw an arrow, let alone fire it. Alas their escape was halted when a ball of fire collided into them, badly burning their outfits and making them pass out from the pain.

The group looked to each other and, upon seeing that all were present, silently reached the conclusion that they should keep going.

* * *

It wasn't long after this that they saw several figures in front of them, each removing arrows from various parts of their bodies. The closer they got, the more familiar the other group got.

"Guys!"

Aki wasted no time running to his friends and began removing arrows from Masaru's back. The others did the same for Dai and Agnus, and as soon as all of them were removed, Gin cast a healing spell on them to close their wounds. Looking much better, the three explained that they were ambushed by the archers but since they lacked any means of long range combat, they were forced to simply run and try their best to block the arrows with their weapons. Judging by how many arrows now littered the ground, it was safe to say they hadn't done a very good job.

"Did you see anyone else on your way here?"

The three simply shook their heads, Gin quickly becoming worried as they did. Knowing that they had to move, Shinji cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "We're wasting time here. We've gotta keep moving."

No one argued with the statement and they continued on their path. Or at least they would have if someone hadn't walked out in front of them. It was a girl with huge curly pigtails, wearing a blue and white dress and a huge belt. She looked injured, annoyed and completely oblivious to their presence.

"Those brats! If it weren't for them and that unlicensed teacher, I would have turned that delinquent into an honour student by now! Damn it!" Turning, she finally noticed the group and recoiled slightly. "And who the hell are you?"

Gin stepped forward, his staff raised and anger evident on his face. "I am Gin. You kidnapped my best friend and are trying to turn her into an honour student! I will punish you for that!"

The woman scowled, "So, you must be another delinquent… Well, the first one might have gotten away, but I'll definitely convert you! PTA, punish these rebellious students!"

With a snap of her fingers hundreds of men appeared, each clutching bows. A single look at them proved that they were different from the ones the group had been facing up till now. The ones before wore red coats and favoured the high ground. These ones wore white and at least half of them were on the same level as their targets. If nothing else these ones were more confident and knew to bring more reinforcements. There were also less ledges to knock them off of, so the group couldn't take advantage of that like they had before. To make matters even worse, they were right in the middle of the room and there was nothing for them to hide behind. They were sitting ducks and everyone knew it.

"Fire!"

With that simple command from their leader, the archers began firing from all directions, the number of arrows could have easily cut down an entire army and they were all heading towards the defenceless warriors. Gin did his best to deflect the arrows with wind spells but there were so many of them that he would be lucky to stop half of them. The only choice the group had was to use their weapons as shields and stick close together, forming a circle to cover each other's backs. The arrows weren't slowing down and many of them were getting past their defences. There was nothing they could do.

Until the explosion anyway.

It had been sudden and unexpected, no one knew where it came from or what had caused it. They all began looking around for whatever had done it, only to be caught off guard by another explosion, this time on the opposite side of the room. Then there was another, and another after it. Suddenly there was a barrage of explosions, each followed by another in a different place but all of them striking the members of the PTA.

"Wha- What is going on?" the woman screamed as more and more of the PTA were knocked out by the explosions. She was answered by a voice from the shadows.

"My plan, that's what."

Following the voice, everyone saw a Demon dressed in red with black and white hair and a pair of mismatched wings. She smiled at them while holding a huge handgun. Shinjiro was the most surprised as he recognised the girl.

"Mei?"

"Hey there! Glad to see you're not dead. After all I get so much more info from living specimens."

Feeling somewhat alarmed by her casual way of saying this, Shinji thought it would be best to change the subject, "Why are you helping us?"

"Wellllll, I need you alive to experiment on you. Plus I need to teach the school board a lesson."

As she finished speaking, the explosions stopped, revealing that about half the PTA had been knocked out. Mei looked somewhat disappointed. "Hmmm, must have run out of Prinnys… Ah well, guess we'll have to deal with the rest the old fashion way."

Despite making him uncomfortable with her talk of experimenting on him, Shinjiro was glad to have the back up, and was very glad to see her shoot several members of the PTA with her gun. He felt even better when he noticed that she apparently loaded that gun with something equivalent to shotgun shells, easily blasting away her targets.

With only half of the PTA left and most of them on ground level, Saiduq saw his chance and quickly rushed at the nearest archer. Unlike their previous enemies, this one remained calm even when the man was just a few feet away and fired several arrows at him. One of them imbedded itself in the charging man's shoulder but did nothing to stop him from upper cutting his target into the air.

While this was happening, the other members of the PTA had refocused their attention on their targets and had begun firing again. Since most of them were unconscious, the amount of arrows had drastically decreased. It was still a threat but now it was enough that Aki, Masaru and Samantha were able to slip out and start fighting back. Masaru had decided that the best thing to do was to rush through his enemies, not slowing down to make sure they were defeated. That way, if nothing else he was making them focus on him, giving the others a chance to join the fight. His strategy was proving efficient, knocking out about a third of the people he hit and making the others start firing at a moving target.

Aki and Samantha however had been told by Shinjiro to slip past everyone and deal with the remaining enemies above them. Samantha was the first up and helped Aki the rest of the way. Since the area they were in was round, they could afford to both go separate ways and would meet on the other side when they were both done.

Juro, who was still with Shinji and was currently using Gin's wind spells as protection, was shooting at the archers that Aki and Samantha wouldn't reach for a while. Unfortunately these archers were tough and were able to take several bullets before they even tried to stop him. "I'm gonna need a bigger gun when this is over…"

Saiduq was continuing to randomly attack everything that crossed his line of vision and, while he was now starting to look like a Demon shaped pin cushion because of how many arrows he'd been hit with, he was also defeating a lot of enemies. The most notable enemy he fought was one who not only managed to dodge his initial attack, but then almost stabbed him in the face with one of his arrows. Quick reflexes had managed to catch the man's arm just a split second before the arrow had a chance to enter his eye. Saiduq's superior strength quickly pushed it back and he proceeded to slam his forehead into the glasses wearing man's nose, breaking it and knocking him out.

The PTA were falling fast, Aki, Samantha and Juro had dealt with most of the enemies on the upper level and the hat wearing gunner was now climbing up there so he could get a better view of the battlefield. Saiduq had cleared out a lot of the enemies on the ground and most of the ones he hadn't were now trying to hit the blur the blur Masaru had apparently turned into. With very few enemies left to fire at them, Shinjiro gave the order for Dai and Agnus to join the fray and that Gin could finally go on the offensive. All of them liked this plan.

Agnus was the first out and put his newly mended spear to good use when an archer tried to shoot him, only to find that the spear wielding Demon had jumped into the air and promptly stabbed him in the head before flipping over him and slamming him into the next enemy he saw, dislodging the spear from his brain in the process. Agnus was very happy to have his spear back.

Dai meanwhile had proved that, while he was slow because he used two big weapons, he was also very hard to take down. Any arrows which did get past his enormous axe barely seemed to faze him. And he continued his approach on a group of three archers. When he finally reached them he cleaved through all of their bows with a single swing of his sword before hitting one with the flat side of his axe, sending that one into the next one and finally into the third one before flinging them across the room.

Gin wasn't interested in fighting the archers though, his focus was on the woman, who he could only assume was the president of the school board or at the very least a high ranking member of it. Since he was so angry, only one spell seemed appropriate, and the fireball he made was quite large. She was able to dodge most of the attack and countered with at least four arrows. One grazed his chest but the others missed entirely. Both faced each other, knowing that the person in front of them was the only one they should be focusing on.

While all this was happening, Mei was continuing to blast enemies with her overpowered gun and seemed to be enjoying it, "So many specimens today! I look forward to experimenting on you~!"

She was so focused on the targets in front of her thought that she didn't notice that one archer had discarded his bow in favour of a short sword and was approaching her from behind. Slowly he raised the blade, intending to finish her in one strike. He only stopped when he suddenly felt pain in both his arms and saw something drop from above his field of vision. Looking down, he saw that it was a pair of severed arms. In white. Clutching a short swords.

He realised what had happened around the same time his blood had and started flowing out of the stumps where hands used to be. His scream made Mei turn and notice not only him, but a surprisingly angry looking Shinjiro. The axe wielding man seemed unconcerned by his enemies pained yell and lifted him by his collar before flinging him across the room. He collided with several of his own allies before slamming into one of the book stacks with enough force to knock it down. With the enemy and several others defeated, Shinji glanced at Mei, clearly still angry and quickly said, "We're even."

With that said, he rushed to join the battle once more, not noticing Mei's smile as he went. Most of the PTA were now feeling something they hadn't felt in a long time: Fear. They had killed that emotion along with any doubt that they were anything less than the best. Seeing a man soaked in one of their owns blood charging toward them with an axe in hand, quickly reminded them what it felt like. Suddenly he became their primary target but their suddenly shaking hands made it harder for them to aim and only a few of them were able to fire with any level of accuracy. Plus the fact they were all focused on him meant that they were caught completely off guard when they were hit by their original targets. The PTA were dropping like flies, soon there were only a handful left and most of them were getting sloppy and missing their targets.

The only person who was still fighting with any degree of skill was the leader who was still focused completely on Gin. She had hit him several times but every time she did, he had been able to hit her with one of his spells. He had mostly stuck to fire and wind, which had helped stop most of her arrows. The two had kept their distance from one another but Gin had been edging closer the entire time. She didn't even notice, let alone suspect that he was doing it for a reason. Finally, when he was close enough, he smiled before raising his staff into the air. Almost immediately, a blade appeared on the side of the weapon, turning it into a scythe, before she could even process what had happened, Gin dashed forwards, slicing her with the scythe as he went. Her blood flowed from the wound and she was forced to her knees.

"Damn it! PTA, hold your fire!"

Not liking the order, but not wanting to oppose their boss, the PTA did as she said and lowered their bows. Everyone stopped attacking as soon as they did, except Saiduq, who had caught one of the archers in a headlock and punched him in the face at least three times before noticing that the fight was over.

"We acknowledge defeat…"

With their enemy defeated, Shinjiro and Gin approached her. Gin grabbed her arm and forced her to her feet, "Where is Raspberyl? Where are you keeping her?"

"Hmph, she already escaped. All because of those rebellious students and that uninsured teacher."

"What? She's safe?"

"For now… we haven't given up on her yet. We will make her an honour student!"

Surprisingly, it was Mei who was the first to argue, "What a joke. You were going to force her to be an honour student? How pathetic! Demons are supposed to disobey rules and authority. By defying you, she's being more Demon then you could ever hope to be. Besides, you don't get people to follow you by hypnotising them. You kill them and make their corpses an example to others! Cut off their hands, stick their heads on spikes, feed their corpses to monsters. Come on, even Humans knew to do this stuff hundreds of years ago. You have no excuse."

"Shut up! You're just a delinquent who doesn't know what it means to be a Demon! You have no right to lecture me!"

A fist to her stomach cut her off and she soon felt the same hand forcing her to face Shinjiro. "I don't care about how Demons like their lives. But one thing that pisses me off, is people forcing others to live a life they hate. You want Demons to live how you want them to? Give them a reason to. Not fear or their not living how they want to or even how you want to. Because as soon as that fear goes away, they'll go right back to how they were and you'll have accomplished nothing."

When Shinjiro and Gin suddenly let go of her, she collapsed to the ground and looked up. Seeing all of her enemies standing over her she suddenly felt so small, so weak. She finally knew what it felt like being a student in fear of her and the PTA. And she hated it.

"Enough! Please… I see now. If I want this school to be what I want it to be, I'm going to have to do it without inspiring fear. I'll find some other way to make them realise what an honour student is, no hypnosis."

With a firm nod, Shinjiro turned and everyone followed him, leaving the school board president to think about what she would do now.

* * *

When the group finally emerged from the building, Shinjiro decided it was time for Mei to answer his questions, "Alright, why were you really there?"

"I told you, I can't let you die before I experiment on you and I needed to teach the school board a lesson."

"Is that all?"

"That's all."

"Ok then, how did you find us?"

"Oh I've been following you ever since you met these two clowns." She pointed to Gin and Saiduq as she said this.

"Hey!"

"I resent that!"

"Whatever. Anyway, that's not all. I heard about what you're planning to do. How you're taking on a bunch of strong Demons in the hopes of getting a shot at the Overlord. Tough goal."

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

Mei's smile grew sinister, "I want to fight you."

"What?"

"Yeah. You get yourself patched up and then we're going to have ourselves a little fight. One on one. I want to see what you're capable of."

"And what reason do I have for fighting you?"

Mei blinked, her face gaining a confused look. It seemed that she hadn't even considered that he'd need a reason. Eventually she answered, "If you win, I'll help you beat the Overlord."

That was a tempting offer. More allies was always a good thing and she had already proved herself as an effective fighter. Having her on his side would he a major help.

"And if I lose?"

Mei's smile returned, even more ferocious than before, "If I win, I get to do whatever experiments I want to you."

That was not something Shinjiro would usually agree to. Mei had already proven that her idea of experimenting on someone involved shoving a scalpel into their chest, a fact which made him appreciate Aki's fast reflexes. On the other hand, if he won he'd gain a powerful ally. Which was greater, the risk or the reward?

"… Deal."

Mei chuckled slightly and the others stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "Good. Meet me by the Dimension Gate when you're ready. Your friends can watch if they want. Don't leave me waiting."

With a last chuckle, Mei turned on her heel and walked away, a malicious joy radiating off her. Shinjiro wondered if he had gotten in over his head. It was too late to go back now. He would have to get ready to fight her.

* * *

**Well this has got to be the most action based chapter I've ever written. Hope you all enjoyed it. Hopefully I'll get the fight with Mei up soon and we can continue with the main plot.**

**BTW, if anyone wants to give their character a love interest let me know. It can be a character already in the story or it could be an all new character you send in. I might not be able to give everyone the love interest they want but let me know and I'll see what I can do.**

**Thanks to Mirai666 for the notes about how Mei would act. You really helped me out.**

**Until next time.  
**


	16. Chapter 15 Battle by the Red Moon

**Hey, before we start I want to address some things. First, some of you may be wondering why I didn't have the team meet Mao's group in the last chapter. This was done for two reasons. I didn't want to have too many people to coordinate in the battle, especially since I was having Mei show up again. Also I always felt that the School Board becoming good guys at the end just came out of nowhere so I wanted to give them more reason to do that. **

**Second, Hades Revolution asked if Elizabeth would be in this story. Right now I have no idea if I'm going to include anyone from the Velvet Room and if I do it won't be for a while. Right now I've got a lot to work on and I'd like to finish some of the story elements before I try to fit more in. I'm not saying they won't show up, I'm just saying don't expect them to in the near future. **

**PS. Yes Hades, you can use some of my characters in your own fic. So you can use Aki, Masaru, Dai and Juro. Everyone else is owned by somebody else and you'll have to consult them. (Takehisa and Matildo are NPCs in the game itself so I don't own them. I just gave them character.)**

**Anyway, let's get this chapter underway!**

* * *

**Chapter 15 – Battle by the Red Moon**

* * *

The group had made it back to the main hall, none of them speaking on the way. As soon as they arrived Gin spoke up, "I'm sorry, but I have to leave now. I have to see if Beryl is alright."

"That's fine." Shinjiro told him, not bothering to turn around.

"I will repay you for this. All of you."

"Go."

With a nod and a wave, Gin left, his form soon fading into the shadows. Saiduq cleared his throat once the suited Demon was gone.

"Well, since he was the one paying me, I should be going too. It was fun working with you. In fact…" He pulled out a phone and passed it to Juro, "If you ever need an extra set of hands, call me. I'm speed dial number 1. Until then!"

He ran off before anyone could say anything and soon he too was nowhere to be seen. With both of them gone, Shinjiro found himself surrounded by his allies, all with serious expressions on their faces. Since he was directly in front of him, Aki was the first to speak.

"So what now, boss?"

"Boss?"

"Yeah, I mean, you're our leader after all."

"…Whatever. First we need to get our wounds looked at. Masaru, I'm going to need all the info you can get on Mei. Dai, you know weapons, see if you can get your hands on something I can use. Juro, do the same as Dai, but look for armour, I don't want her shoving a scalpel in my chest. Aki, Agnus, Samantha, see if you can find out anything about Mao, we might have to fight him again in the future and I want to be ready for if that happens."

All of them nodded before going to have Matildo heal them. When all of them were healed they separated to complete their individual tasks. They all agreed that they would meet by Takehisa's alter when they were done. Speaking of Takehisa, that was who Shinjiro was going to meet.

* * *

As soon as he arrived in his mind he could tell something was wrong. It was brighter than before, warmer too. The fire had grown even more since he had last arrived. It was still quite a distance away but he could still feel its heat. He still didn't know what the fire was but it was clear that whatever was causing it wasn't something he was fighting.

While the fire worried him, it wasn't what he had come here for. Turning away from it, he approached one of the nearby pillars and removed the next block from his mind. A new technique appeared in his mind and he hoped that this would give him the edge he needed.

* * *

Emerging from his mind, Shinji found his team waiting for him. As he approached he turned to Masaru, "What have you got?"

"Barely anything. Apparently she came to the Academy just a little before you did. And the only note from the teacher was that she loved to experiment on things."

"Damn it. We already knew that." Sighing in frustration, Shinji turned to Dai and Juro, "What about you two?"

Juro held up something at this, "I managed to pick up this vest. It's a bit battered but it's thick. Should be able to stop a knife but if she uses that gun of hers, you're in serious trouble."

Shinjiro simply nodded, knowing full well what would happen if he were shot. Accepting the vest, he removed his coat and handed it to Dai. After he put on the vest, he took his coat back and put it on again, completely covering the fact he was wearing a vest at all. Masaru smiled in understanding and the others soon followed.

"I'm afraid I couldn't get a new axe for ya. The prices are ridiculous at that place. But I can let you use my axe for the fight. I'll expect it back when we're done though."

"Of course." Shinjiro said simply, accepting the large axe Dai was fond of. Finally it was the other's turn. Agnus was the one who reported for them.

"Well, between us we've been able to find out that Mao is after the same goal as us, the defeat of the Overlord, though we haven't found out why yet. He also insists that he's the only one allowed to do it, so he's gonna try and stop us. It would seem that he was also the one to rescue Gin's friend, and the students made him class leader for it, so he's got the entire year behind him now. We also learned about the two that served him that Masaru and Juro fought. The swordsman's name is Almaz and from what we can tell, he is a human being turned into a Demon…"

"What? Another human?"

"Apparently, but keep in mind that many Demons lie and they may have been trying to deceive us. The other man's name is Cross and he has served Mao for many year now, but apart from that, We couldn't find much."

"That all?"

"Yeah. Nothin' else."

Nodding at this, Shinjiro checked his equipment to make sure he was ready. After he was certain he told the others to visit Takehisa and then decide on their next opponent. He didn't want them to come with him and they all accepted that, though Aki and Samantha seemed more reluctant. With that done, he began walking to where Mei said she would be waiting. Before he arrived though, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Hey!"

Turning he saw Gin running towards him. When he finally reached him he extended his hand, which was currently clutching a strange object in it. "I want you to have this. It's an Imperial Seal. It's magic draws out potential from deep within and adds a little power of its own. Since you were going to fight that Mei girl, I figured you might need it."

Knowing that he would need every advantage he could get, Shinji accepted it and put it in the inside pocket of his coat, uttering a quiet thanks to Gin. With his gift delivered, Gin wished him luck and left again.

With nothing left to stop him, the young Persona user walked to the Dimension Gate. When he arrived, Mei was nowhere to be seen. While looking around for her, the Prinny in charge of the Gate spoke up, "Are you Shinjiro, Dood?"

"…Yeah. Why?"

"I was told to deliver a message from a girl called Mei. She says she'll be waiting on the school roof for you. I've already prepared the Gate for when you're ready, Dood."

"I'm ready now."

The Prinny nodded and opened the gate, which Shinjiro quickly walked through.

* * *

The school roof was surprisingly simple compared to the rest of the Academy. It was a simple flat surface with no obvious decorations or anything to make it more appealing or practical. There was also nothing to stop people from falling to their deaths if they got too close to the edge, and even from a distance, Shinji could tell that he would die if he fell, no questions asked. But perhaps the most noticeable thing was not part of the roof but floated above it, above the entire campus.

The moon, which from looked bigger than the sun back home. It took up an incredible amount of the sky and he had to wonder how high up they were and whether he should be worried about lack of oxygen.

His thoughts were cut off by someone singing, the voice familiar but the song unknown. Glancing across the roof he saw Mei standing with her back to him, probably unaware he was even there. Her eyes were focussed solely on the moon as she sang. The song was strange, it spoke of being reborn free of sin, but it sounded so sad. He couldn't tell if it was the song itself or it was reflecting Mei's emotions. When she finished she began to speak, her eyes still not leaving the moon.

"The moon is beautiful from up here, don't you think?"

Shinjiro didn't answer.

"I love to come up here and sing the song the Prinnys taught me. I'm not even sure why. It just feels… right. But you're not here to listen to me rant are you." She turned as she said this, her eyes showing no sadness or joy. Whatever she was feeling, nothing about her showed what it was. Slowly she picked up an axe from the ground and entered a battle stance. "Whenever you're ready."

Shinjiro grabbed his own axe and charged at his enemy. He intended to hit her with the flat side of the blade to avoid hurting her too badly. Naturally she blocked this with her own weapon and countered by jabbing the handle into his jut. The Vest meant that the wind wasn't knocked out of his lungs but the impact was still enough to knock him back slightly. As soon as he recovered, he lifted his axe over his head to block her next attack.

The two stood in stalemate for several seconds, her trying to force her axe closer to his skull and him forcing it back. Finally Shinji broke the stalemate with a quick kick to Mei's ribcage. It was sloppy but it did its job and made her strength fail long enough for him to break free and follow up with a punch to the same spot. This was much more effective and left her panting.

He should have attacked again. If he hit her with his axe it would probably end the fight right there. So why couldn't he bring himself too? Was it because she looked like Hamuko? Or did the song make him feel sorry for her? Maybe it was both at the same time. Either way, he didn't strike and she soon caught her breath.

Not showing the same hesitation that Shinjiro had, Mei quickly attempted to imbed the axe into his side. He once again blocked but was caught off guard and soon found his axe flying from his hands and landing several feet away. He was at the disadvantage now, without a weapon he couldn't block her attacks without risking serious damage to his arms.

Mei almost looked disappointed that the fight would be over so quickly. Much to his surprise, she proceeded to jump backwards and plant the axe into the ground. Before he could wonder why she would do this, three white spheres of energy appeared around her before flying at him. They were too fast for him to dodge and he soon found each of them colliding with him, knocking him onto his back. If he had been able to look at her, he would have noticed that Mei's hands were now engulfed in black flames. Though he did hear her snap her fingers just before the spheres turned black and exploded.

When the blast subsided, Mei walked over to her opponent, his body sprawled out on the concrete, no sign of life present. She sighed, feeling disappointed that he hadn't put up a better fight before smiling at the idea of experimenting on him. Deciding that it would be best to experiment on him back at her makeshift lab, she moved over to his shoulder to pick him up.

And felt his fist collide with her face.

The sudden impact and the fact that she was caught off guard made the punch very effective, sending her reeling back, giving him enough time to get up. When she brought her eyes to him, she saw that he clearly still had fight left in him, as he had now taken a new fighting stance, one which involved keeping his hands close to his face but far enough away that he could perform quick jabs.

But something didn't make sense to her. How was he able to hit so hard after her attack? She'd put a lot of energy into that attack so how was he even still standing? Then she looked closely, her eyes focussing on a small cut in his coat. Underneath she saw the vest he was wearing, which had taken the majority of the impact from the initial strike and had lessened the force from the blast. While she was looking, she noticed something else that had eluded her earlier.

Gloves. He was wearing a pair of fingerless gloves with mettle knuckles. No wonder that last punch had hurt so much, he'd brought a second weapon to the fight!

All of this would make a normal fighter angry that their opponent had thought so far ahead. Mei however wasn't normal and felt excited that the fight would keep going. Her huge smile was proof enough of that.

Despite the fact that she had left her weapon in the opposite direction, Mei attempted to attack him again, this time using only her bare hands. Shinjiro waited for her to get close before ducking down to dodge her sweeping arm, before countering with a fist straight into her shoulder blade. The distinctly unhealthy sound it made combined with the yell she released proved that he had dislocated it. Now was his chance to end this fight.

Capitalising on the fact she was recovering from her previous injury, Shinjiro landed another punch on her face. Not waiting for her to recover, he quickly jabbing his other fist into the same spot. Finally he pulled himself into a crouch, readied his fist and, with all the strength he could muster, performed an uppercut that collided directly into her chin. The force lifted her off the ground and she landed on her back, her face bruised and with a look of pure pain plastered across it.

When she finally opened her eyes, they showed no sadness at losing, instead merely looking to the moon once more. Despite everything, she found herself singing the same song again.

Just like before, Shinji made no effort to stop her and listened intently. The song said that the red moon would cleanse sinners and allow them to be reborn again. He wondered if it was true. And if it was, would he one day have his sins cleansed by it? Or had it already been done?

When Mei finished she tried to get up, but her arm made it difficult. Shinjiro, against his better judgment, helped her find her feet. Once he had, she looked up at him, her eyes as blank as they had been before. "I guess you won."

"Yeah… Now, you made a promise to me."

"I did, didn't I? Okay, I'll help you beat the Overlord. But before that, I want to ask you something. Where did you get those gloves? You weren't wearing them when you arrived here."

"I asked Dai to pick them up for me when we were at the infirmary. He slipped them into my pockets for me and when you hit me with those spheres I just slipped 'em on."

"Clever. I think I'm going to enjoy working with you…"

Without saying another word, the two walked back to the Dimension Gate and after that, the infirmary to get Mei's face healed and her shoulder fixed.

* * *

Once Mei was healed, the two walked to the classroom, only to find that all of their allies were gathered around in a circle. They could hear them talking but could only pick out bits and pieces.

"Do you think they know each other?"

"I don't know…"

"What's another one doing here?"

Not feeling like waiting for answers, Shinjiro decided to interrupt them, "What's wrong?"

All of them turned to face him. They had been so caught up in their own conversation that they hadn't noticed him return. Samantha was the first to answer, "You should see this…"

As Shinjiro got closer, the group parted to allow him in. His eyes widened at what he saw. There, slumped in a chair unconscious, was another human. And not just any human. It was a man with short black hair and a clearly expensive suit. But it was not these that made Shinjiro recognise the man. For these two had only met once and most of these traits were common. But there was one feature that made him unique, one feature that had stuck in Shinjiro's mind and would forever be associated with this man.

An eyepatch.

Takeharu Kirijo was in the Netherworld.

* * *

… **You know that last part probably would have made a good twist if I hadn't put that he was appearing on the first page… Ah well.**

**So now Mei's joined the team and Kirijo has shown his face. Let's see how things go from here.**


	17. Chapter 16 Resolve to Reunite

**Chapter 16 – Resolve to Reunite**

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Shinjiro sat down across from the eye patch wearing man. He couldn't believe that he was here too. What did it mean? Why them but no one else? How he wished someone had the answers to these questions, but it didn't seem like anyone did.

The others remained silent, all knowing from his body language that Shinji knew the man they had found, but decided to wait for the shock of seeing him to wear off before they started asking questions.

Mei on the other hand…

"Ooh! Another Human to experiment on! Now I've got two potential test subjects. This one looks older, so I should be able to test how the body changes as it-"

"You're not dissecting him!" Shinjiro forcefully stated.

"Why not?" she seemed genuinely confused as she asked this.

"Because I need him in one piece."

"Can I dissect him when you're done?"

"No!"

Mei pouted at this but obliged, putting away the collection of scalpels she had pulled out while they were talking. The yelling however seemed to reach Kirijo and he began to stir awake. His eye slowly opened and with a confused look on his face. When his gave finally landed on Shinjiro, shock replaced confusion.

"Y-you're… Aragaki! B-but you died!"

"Hate to say it, but it looks like you did too."

In hindsight, he probably could have broken it to Kirijo better. However by the time he had thought of a better way to say it, it was far too late. Strangely, Kirijo seemed strangely acceptant of this fact, just taking a deep breath.

"Where are we?"

"The Netherworld."

"Then I will gladly accept punishment for my sins."

A familiar feeling entered Shinji as he heard Agnus, Samantha and Mei burst out laughing at this. Aki, Dai and Juro all chuckled lightly and he heard Masaru mutter, "It's not as funny the second time…"

Naturally Kirijo looked confused at why they were laughing and Shinji quickly began explaining the situation.

* * *

Kirijo listened to all Shinjiro had to say about their current predicament, asking questions every so often, and took the information in surprisingly quickly. Now, it was Shinji's turn to ask questions.

"OK, how did you die?"

"… It was Ikutsuki. He betrayed us!"

"What…?"

"Everything he said was a lie! He wanted the twelve Shadows to fuse into something far worse, something capable of ushering in the end of the world! He played us all like puppets!" As he finished saying this, Kirijo lost his temper, rose from his seat and kicked a nearby chair across the room, narrowly missing Aki's head. Shinjiro just sat in shock, everything he had done to stop the Dark Hour had been for nothing. The man they had trusted had been manipulating them all along. A question needed to be asked.

"You said he wanted them to fuse into something that would end the world. Did he succeed?"

"… I'm not sure. The twelve Shadows were all defeated, and if he was to be believed then, yes, he succeeded."

And with that said, despair entered Shinjiro's soul. The world was almost certainly doomed and chances were that even if he made it back there in time, he wouldn't be able to stop it. What was the point of continuing?

"He didn't succeed." Masaru said bluntly, his voice seeming more bored than anything. Everyone turned to him. Sighing, he began to explain, "Think about it. If an entire world was destroyed, then how come there isn't a flood of Prinnys? And for that matter, if the world ended, how come only this guy kept his Human form? Surely others would have appeared."

"What if you're wrong?"

To give his answer, Masaru walked directly into Shinjiro's face, barely an inch between them and said in a voice that was just above a whisper, "Prove me wrong. Walk to your world and prove to me it ended. Then I'll say you have the right to give up. You started this quest to get you home. See it through to the end."

With that said, Masaru turned and sat back down. Everyone was silent as they thought about his words. Shinjiro in particular contemplated what he said and, no matter what way he looked at it, Masaru was right. There was no proof that the world had ended, they were just speculating. And until they knew for sure, giving up wasn't an option. During his contemplation though, a thought entered Shinjiro's mind, a question which could shed light on his situation.

"Kirijo, when did you die?"

"The date was-"

"Not the date! The time!"

"… It was during the Dark Hour. Ikutsuki shot me."

It was just as Shinjiro thought and this led to another question, "You said that the Dark Hour is an anomaly of some sort in time and space right?"

"Yes…"

"And Masaru, you said that no Humans have ever come here after death?"

"Yes. Where are you going with this?"

"Kirijo, the Dark Hour is a time period which exists outside of normal time. That's the time displacement. But what about the spacial one?"

Kirijo's eye widened as the gears of his mind began to turn, "Of course! We were only looking at how the time changed but we never noticed anything spacial other than Tartarus! If you're right about this, then the reason we're here is because we died during the Dark Hour, correct?"

"That's my theory. I don't know if it's right or not but right now it's all we've got."

"It's as good a theory as any. And it means one more thing…"

"What?"

"… When Ikutsuki killed me, he had the members of SEES hostage and Aigis completely under his control. He planned to kill them for his sick desires."

"What!? Why didn't you tell me this sooner!?"

"We got carried away, I didn't get the chance! I'm still coming to terms with everything that's happened. But think Aragaki, if your theory is correct, then there are two possible outcomes of that night. Either, they are dead and are somewhere in this world waiting to be found. Or…"

"They're still alive…!"

"Exactly! Either way, there is hope for them!"

Shinjiro felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. If there was even a chance that they were still alive, then he was going to cling onto it like it was the only thing keeping him alive. And given his current situation, it probably was.

"If that's the case, then we can't afford to wait around. We have to keep going with our journey." Kirijo nodded at him and the two turned to the others who were looking at them with either looks of confusion (Aki, Dai, Juro, Samantha and Agnus) or the same looks an inquisitor would wear when he's about to start interrogating someone (Masaru and Mei). Shinjiro then realised that he and Kirijo had been having this entire conversation without explaining anything to them so it was no wonder they were confused.

"You want an explanation?"

"Yes. Now." Masaru said forcefully. The others nodded and the two felt obligated to explain. Since he knew them better, Shinjiro thought it would be best for him to start off.

"In my world, there are creatures known as Shadows. They feed on negative emotions and possess incredible power."

"My father noticed this power and began experiments to see if he could manipulate their power for his own purposes. In this mission, he amassed many Shadows and sought to use them for horrible goals. Then, in the final stages of his plans, something happened… One of the scientists caused an explosion that destroyed the entire building they were operating in. While this ceased my father's ambitions, it also altered the fabric of time and space forever."

"After the explosion, something we called the Dark Hour appeared. It's an hour that exists at midnight but when it's over, the rest of the world still thinks its midnight. Only a select few can enter the Dark Hour. We were some of those few."

"The Shadows made the Dark Hour their home, feeding on the emotions of any people who were drawn into the Dark Hour unnaturally, and leaving them in a state of total apathy. We could not allow this to continue."

"We began investigating the Dark Hour, trying to find a way to stop it for good. But to do that, we would have to face the Shadows. There was only one way to do that. The power of Personas."

"Personas are a powerful force that some rare individuals could summon from within themselves. Their strength was enough to defeat the Shadows and enter their den, the warped, twisted version of where the experiments took place, and where most Shadows gathered. Tartarus."

"We thought that we had finally found a solution to make it go away, when our advisor told us that, in theory, the Dark Hour would vanish if we defeated the strongest Shadows, the ones which only appeared on the night of the full moon. But as I'm sure you've already gathered, he was lying to us."

"Shuji Ikutsuki. Like myself, he could enter the Dark Hour but possessed no Persona. For years we believed that he was helping us when really he was sabotaging everything we had been working for. And then the night we believed we had finally won, he kidnapped our allies and planned to sacrifice them to end the world. He and I faced off, both of us fired. And then I was here."

The others seemed to have taken this in despite how complex and improbable it seemed. Then again, Shinjiro had seen things here that almost made his mind explode from how little sense they made. These guys were probably used to the strange. But that didn't mean Shinjiro was done talking.

"I never even got the chance to fight it. I died near the end of our hunt for the Shadows. An enemy Persona user attacked me and another member of our team, a kid. He shot me twice, but the others arrived and scared him off before he could hurt the kid. And now they're in danger and they need all the help they can get. So I'm gonna ask this now. Are you gonna help me or do I have to take on the Overlord by myself?"

He was fully expecting silence as they all considered whether or not it was worth it. He was pleasantly surprised when Aki immediately stepped forward.

"I'm in. I'd do the same for my friends."

Agnus chuckled at this before smiling, "Like I'm gonna just give up. I'm gonna make sure I look the Overlord right in the eye!"

Samantha thrust her fist into the air, "Hell yeah! This is the most fun I've had in a long time! You couldn't drag me away!"

Juro flicked his hat and looked Shinji in the eye, "I'm with her, this is way too much fun to give up now."

Dai wrapped his arm around Juro's shoulders and gave him a playful nudge, "Wherever my buddy here goes, so do I!"

Masaru simply shrugged and said, "I got nothin' better to do."

Mei seemed the most hesitant, as if she was still thinking about something, "Do you really think you can do it? Get back to Earth and stop the end of the world?"

"Probably not. But it's not impossible."

"And what if it becomes impossible?"

"Then I'll make it possible! Even if I have to climb my way into God's throne room and beat him to death to do it!"

Mei was silent for exactly five seconds before she started laughing all over again. When she finally calmed down, she stared at Shinjiro with a smile on her face, "Ha, I've never met someone so determined before. That's gonna make it real fun when I finally experiment on you. But I'm gonna have to stick around you if I want that to happen."

Despite her promise to cut him open and examine everything he'd prefer stayed in the confines of his ribcage, Shinjiro was happy that she had agreed to help. With everyone agreeing to help him he felt like he really could defeat the Overlord, make it back home, and kill whatever it was that was trying to end it.

"I want to fight to." A firm voice said from behind him. He turned to face the business man who looked fiercely determined.

"It won't be easy."

"True. But it can't be harder than knowing that your daughter's life is at risk and has been every night for the past ten years."

Nothing Shinjiro could say could possibly argue with that.

"OK… have you got a weapon?"

Kirijo reached for his pocket. And then his other pocket. And then all around him.

"I must have lost my pistol when I died…"

Mei quickly pulled out her enormous gun and moved to give it to him. Juro stopped her, "Whoa there! Remember that this guy is human. The recoil on that thing would probably break his wrist. Tell you what, I'll take it and he can have my gun."

Mei made no effort to stop him and Shinjiro wasn't sure if Juro was saying that stuff because he meant it or because he wanted the shotgun pistol for himself. Either way, Kirijo had a weapon and the team had all agreed on what to do.

"OK, I think that we should all get a little rest then continue on our mission tomorrow. If our enemies are going to get tougher, we'll need to be ready."

No one argued and soon everyone was getting ready to sleep. Kirijo took this chance to pull Shinji to one side and talk to him, "Do you really mean what you said about facing God if necessary?"

"…My Girlfriend is at risk. She gave me reason to live. I will NOT let her die."

"So that's how it is… For the love of your life and for the daughter I cherish more than anything, we will face anything."

"Sure looks that way."

Kirijo smiled, a rare occurrence, "I am glad that it is you who is by my side right now. I can see the fires of determination in your soul."

And with that said Kirijo sat down and went to sleep. Shinjiro looked over the sleeping people that he was now leading. They had all sworn to his cause and were expecting him to lead them. He knew that he wouldn't let them down.

* * *

**So the team finally has a theory for what's happened to them. Are they right? Maybe they are, maybe they aren't, maybe they've got the right idea but some of the details are wrong. Who knows. Now I should let you know that at some point soon I may be forced to stop updating so regularly. However I will not give up on this fic. I just want to make sure that you all know that just because I don't update in a while doesn't mean I'm done. Just keep checking and eventually you will be rewarded, I promise.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Look forward to seeing you at the next chapter.**


	18. Chapter 17 In the Pasts Shadow

**Chapter 17 – In the Pasts Shadow**

* * *

It was easy for Shinjiro to sleep that night. He had been fighting for almost all of it and it was finally taking its toll on him. But as before, sleep was not necessary, but not welcome.

This time he remembered the time that he first entered the Dark Hour. He had been picking up some ingredients for a dish he wanted to try when suddenly the whole world shifted around him. The sky and moon turned an eerie shade of green. All the light failed along with everything else electrical. The water now resembled blood and was spread across every surface he could see. And most terrifyingly of all, everyone around him was replaced by a large coffin.

Needless to say, he had been surprised, confused and scared. He quickly ran, trying to find out what had just happened. Everywhere he went it was the same combination of darkness, blood and coffins. He was panicking now. What if everywhere was like this? What if it had happened to Akihiko? What if he was the only one left unaffected forever?

It was at that moment that a calmer, more rational part of his mind forced those questions away and told him to remain calm and keep looking. And so he did. For what felt like hours he wandered the streets, desperately looking for any signs of life. There were none.

Until he entered one particular alley. There he saw… something. He didn't recognise what it was and he was pretty sure something like that would be easy to remember. Its body seemed like a black blob with arms and a blue, mask-like face. It seemed to be prowling the area before it noticed him.

The second it saw him it charged, it's arms clawing at thin air as if that would make it go faster. He figured it was best not to wait to find out what would happen if it caught him and started running away from it. It was fast, but he was faster and eventually he got away from it. By the time he had he was panting, desperately trying to catch his breath. He didn't know what that thing was but he was glad it was gone. Something about it just seemed… wrong. As if it's very existence disturbed, scared and enraged him.

Still trying to catch his breath, he slumped against a nearby wall and collapsed. Pulling his legs towards him and resting his head on them, he desperately tried to control his own emotions. He barely noticed that the world had returned to normal around him.

Then only darkness entered his vision.

Lifting his head, he noticed that he was still in the same place as before only now there were no lights at all. Even the stars and the moon were gone, even though the sky was clear. All the people who had been transmogrified had vanished too as had the blood-like water scattered around the street.

Standing up, he looked to see what else had changed about this dream. Something entered his vision immediately and he turned to face it.

Standing in the middle of the street was a man with spiky black hair dressed in a grey Hakama and a sleeveless, open front vest. A tiger was tattooed on his left shoulder, a dragon on his right. Raising his hand, a sword in a wooden sheath appeared in his hands. Slowly he drew it and even from at least ten feet away, Shinjiro could feel the power coming off it. But it was at this point that it became obvious that the man wasn't looking at him. He was focussed on the darkness ahead. Looking to see what the man was so interested in, Shinji turned and his eyes widened.

Emerging from the shadows, and almost completely fading into them, was Masaru. In his hand was the same kind of sword as the stranger, a katana with a wooden handle. He was brandishing the sword with the clear intent of using it and was getting closer and closer to the mysterious man.

And then they both spoke, their voices mixing with a hundred others as they recited the same words.

"_Two pasts have come to join each other, leading to the same future. Alone the Black Sword craves blood, but does it wish for the blood of enemies lost or the blood of kin restored?"_

When they finished speaking they both charged, the stranger turning into a being of silver light and Masaru's entire body becoming as black as the deepest shadows. The two collided and a burst of black and white filled Shinjiro's vision.

When the two colours flooded his senses, he saw many images. Just like before he saw black wings, a giant eye, a golden orb and a black mass with red eyes. Now though there were even more images. Now he saw a man in a gold and orange robe laughing before his body distorted. He saw the demon he had lost to, Mao, filled with rage and engulfed in darkness. And finally he saw the outline of a man amidst a sea of fire.

Just like before, the images proved too much to take in at once and he was sent to his knees. He was clutching his head, suppressing the urge to scream. Just when he felt like he was finally going to, he felt a gentle hand touch his cheek and lift his head up. Standing there, still as pale as when he had last seen her, was Hamuko, and just like before she spoke in the voices of many.

"_When despair fills the world, the angel will rise to face it and push it back once more. With her heart filled with hope, she will seek to vanquish it forever."_

He knew what would happen next, though that didn't mean that it didn't still hurt. Just as in his last dream, Hamuko began to fade into light. He wanted to reach out to her, to grab her hand and make it stop, but he did not have the strength. By the time he could finally raise his hands to her, it was too late once more.

He didn't scream this time. Instead he merely cried, their silent words speaking for him. If he couldn't save her in his dreams, how could he save her from the end of the world?

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed that he was not alone, though when he saw his guest he wished that he had been.

Standing there, with her wings stretched out, was Mei. She had the same face, the same hair, the same clothes, the same everything. Except for her eyes. Her eyes were gone and in their place were a pair of cold, black voids. Staring at it filled him with despair and pain and soon he found himself unable to keep his eyes open and he soon found his mind fading away.

* * *

He awoke calmly, his eyes damp, proving that his tears in the dream were real. The others were still asleep so he took the chance to wipe his eyes and collect his thoughts. The first time he had one of these dreams had been alarming, now it was scaring him, to have two dreams of similar nature yet so different in how they progressed was unnatural.

And he couldn't help but wonder, why had his dreams always included one of his new allies so prominently? And what did it mean by, 'two pasts' and 'when despair fills the world'? And why did he feel that these dreams were important, like if he didn't listen to them people could die?

He would need to find out but until he could he decided not to tell any of his demonic allies. While he trusted them, he still didn't know why they were in his dreams and if this was normal. If he told them, they might think he was crazy and stop following him, He would tell Kirijo, then begin investigations of his own.

Speaking of Kirijo, he wasn't where he had last seen him. Standing up to see where he had gotten to, he quickly found his answer. As there, lying by Samantha's feet was the man he was looking for, a content smile on his face. It took Shinji a few moments to figure out why. For with close examination, he could see that Kirijo was lying in just the right spot to look directly up the Nekomata's skirt.

"What. The. Hell?" Were Shinji's thoughts, though he was smart enough not to voice them. He could hardly believe it. The solitary, stoic and distant head of the Kirijo group was a pervert!

Part of him was tempted to wake him up and scold him for it, which would have been strange seeing as how he was the younger of the two, but he stopped himself. You see two thoughts entered his mind. First, he didn't want to wake anyone unless he had to and second…

After that nightmare, he could use a laugh and Samantha's reaction would probably give him one.

So he sat down on one of the chairs and waited for the inevitable to happen. While he did he tried to push the thoughts the dream had stirred in him out of his mind. He didn't try to sleep again, knowing that would be a bad idea. Instead he looked at his axe, which he had gotten back from Dai earlier and started thinking about how he would, hopefully, be able to go back soon if he used this a few more times.

He'd just have to be patient and see if the dreams revealed their purpose in time.

* * *

**Sorry that this chapter's so short. The next one'll have a fight so it should be longer.**


	19. Chapter 18 Conflict and Seduction

**Chapter 18 – Conflict and Seduction**

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL?" was the sound that most of the group awoke to, followed by a cry of pain. Shinjiro knew he shouldn't have found this funny but Kirijo kinda had it coming to him. Samantha was glaring quite furiously at the eye patch wearing man, her face read with anger and embarrassment.

The others had mixed reactions to this. As with most things, Masaru glanced at the scene briefly and then decided that it wasn't his problem and went back to sleep. Aki didn't seem to understand what was going on but assumed that Samantha was right to do it and made no effort to help their new ally. Dai seemed surprisingly smug about this, as if he knew it would happen, though he couldn't enjoy it for long as he had to quickly stop Juro from firing his new gun in surprise. Agnus seemed to follow Masaru's lead and pay as little attention as possible, though he did let out a small chuckle at the scene. And Mei…

"Oh that looks bad. Let me take care of that for you~."

"I'm grateful." He said through the pain. Only Shinjiro noticed that he kept glancing at Mei's breasts.

"_Didn't he learn anything?"_

"Now, let's get you fixed up!"

Since she said this while holding some string and a needle in one hand and a large saw behind her back, Shinjiro quickly took her away from Kirijo and pried the large instrument from her hands.

"No dissecting our allies."

"Why? I could make him stronger while I'm doing it."

"You don't make that decision for them."

"You're no fun."

Ignoring her, Shinjiro lifted Kirijo off the ground and started leading him towards the nurse's office.

"Masaru, make a plan for our next move while we're gone."

Masaru only grunted and gave a half-hearted wave, not even bothering to lift his head from the desk it was currently pressed against. Assuming that that meant okay, Shinjiro quickly left.

After they did, Dai turned to Samantha, a glare evident on his face. "I knew this would happen! You monster types are all the same!"

If it was possible, the Nekomata got even angrier at this. "What?"

"You heard me. A monster can't control their instincts! You may play dress up and pretend that your better but you're not! All you care about is eating, sleeping, fighting and having sex! That's all that goes through your head!"

Samantha snapped at this and lunged at him. "AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHH HHHHHHH!"

The impact was enough to make Dai stumble but he kept his footing and quickly caught her arms in his own. "See! You just love to fight!"

"I'm only doing this because you're a racist bastard!"

They were interrupted by a powerful voice, "Enough!"

All looked at Masaru, who was now standing and looking very similar to a drill sergeant. If drill sergeants wore all black, a Longcoat and had hair that meant you couldn't see their eyes.

"What the Hell is wrong with you? We're on the same side, yet you two squabble like children!"

"I shouldn't have to work with he-"

Aki's fist proved surprisingly effective at stopping that sentence. Now the focus of Dai's anger was the martial artist.

"You should be ashamed of yourself Dai! Samantha offered to help us and you've done nothing but belittle her and insult her!"

"She deserves it!"

"No she doesn't!"

"Quiet! Both of you! Dai, Aki is right, you're anger against her is threatening our abilities to work together. Pull it together!"

Aki seemed taken aback by Masaru's comment. "Wait, that's the only thing you have a problem with?"

"We have a goal and we can't afford for any of our allies to be fighting each other. I'm not going to tell them to make up because frankly, that's not my problem. And don't think that you're clear of blame here either Samantha!"

"What? He started insulting me!"

"And you lost your temper! Your actions proved his point and gave him even more reason to insult you. He may be the one at fault but you made the situation worse by attacking him!"

"GRAAHH! I don't have to take this! I'm going to go find Shinjiro!"

And with that Samantha stormed out of the room. Masaru threw one last glare at Dai before continuing his planning. Dai in turn left, making sure to use a different door to Samantha. A concerned Juro decided to follow him. Aki and Mei, having stayed out of the argument continued to pretend like nothing was wrong and continued sharpening their weapon and counting their scalpels respectively.

Aki approached Masaru, a worried look on his face. "You know that what you said didn't solve anything."

"…"

"They're still gonna be at each other throats."

"…Yeah. But what else could I say? How can I make them suddenly forgive each other?"

"…I don't know."

"I hope Shinjiro can think of something to say to them, otherwise we're gonna be in a lot of trouble."

"Yeah…"

Masaru sighed. How he wished Shinjiro had been there to resolve this. He wasn't great at talking to people and he knew it. He could only hope that he'd mended enough cracks in that relationship to get them through the next battle.

* * *

Samantha soon found herself wandering the corridors, trying to find the main hall, but her anger filled mind was affecting her sense of direction. Eventually she stopped walking and resigned herself to the fact that she had gotten herself lost. She was just about to retrace her steps when she heard a voice coming from behind her.

"Hey. Don't I know you?"

The voice was familiar and turning around, she realised why. It was the same man that had helped them in raiding the School Board.

"You're… Saiduq right?"

"Glad to see you remember me." He said, showing off his usual smile. It quickly faded though when he noticed how upset she seemed. "What's wrong?"

"Tch, just one of those guys I've been working with is a bastard. He started saying that since I was a monster type, that I was just some beast that only lives on instinct!"

"What? To say that to such a pretty girl is just plain wrong!"

"And he knows how useful I am to this team! If I didn't have such fast hands he's have been skewered by all those arrows at the School Board!"

"Yeah. Speaking of which, I should thank you for that. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't been there. And the way you took out those archers was practically art!"

Samantha smiled. This cheerful man was infecting her with his positive emotions and compliments and boosting her mood a lot. "Well, at least you appreciate my talents."

"Obviously this guy's an idiot. Want me to deal with him for you? I'll even do it for free."

"Hmmm, tempting, but the team needs all the help we can get. I'll put up with him for now."

"It's your call. Is there anything I can do for ya?"

Samantha thought about this, then smiled. "Yeah, we're probably gonna go looking for a strong opponent soon. Come with us. It'll be fun."

"… Eh, why not. I could use the practise. Plus then I can put that guy in his place if he acts up again."

"Thanks."

With that decided, Samantha was about to lead him to the classroom when she remembered something very important.

"Ummm, do you know how to get to the main hall from here?"

* * *

Dai had been wandering for about five minutes now. He knew Juro was following him but so far neither of them had spoken. Finally he came to a stop and sighed. "Is there something you want Juro?"

"I just want to see if you're okay."

"Of course not! As long as that damned Nekomata is here, I won't ever be okay!"

"…"

"What? Are you going to lecture me too? You know why I'm angry! You of all people should understand!"

"I do! Really! It's just… don't you think you're taking this out on the wrong person?"

"What?"

"You're attacking Samantha for something you know wasn't her fault. You're yelling at her, but it's not her you're really angry at. It's just that she reminds you of her because they're both monsters."

"You're one to talk. Didn't you enjoy taking out those archers yesterday because of who they reminded you of?"

"I'm not denying that! I know I took it out on the wrong people, but at least the people I did take it out on were our enemies! You're attacking our ally!"

Without thinking, Dai punched Juro across the face, his eyes practically burning with anger. A few seconds after Juro hit the ground, he realised what he had done and was instantly remorseful.

"J-juro… I'm sorry. I was so angry and…"

"I… understand… Maybe I should have been a bit more gentle with my comments." Grabbing his hat, which had fallen when he was hit, Juro got back to his feet, Dai helping him up. "Just promise me something."

"What is it?"

"Next time you feel angry against a monster, target it at our enemies. We both know you need strength if you want to fight her, and fighting your own teammates isn't going to help."

"… I'll try."

"That'll do for now."

With that agreement reached, the two also began to head for the classroom. Juro clutching his bruised cheek the whole way.

* * *

Shinjiro couldn't believe this guy. He had looked up Samantha's skirt and that had gotten him badly cut across the face. He looked at Mei's breasts and he'd personally chewed him out for it. And now, while Matildo was fixing the quite severe looking gashes, he looked down her dress as well! Though in fairness given the neckline on that thing it would be hard not to look, even if you didn't want to. It was a good thing Matildo kept her eyes closed all the time or she'd probably be really offended.

"There you are. Good as new. Though if you stare at my boobs next time you come here, I will hospitalise you."

Okay never mind.

With that said, and it being surprisingly intimidating despite her sweet tone (The badly injured fighter behind a curtain probably helped), Kirijo stood up and felt his now cut free face. Shinjiro just shook his head before leading him away.

"You know for someone with such a high reputation, you sure are a perv."

"I resisted in life, but now I'm dead so why not enjoy the view." He proved his point by letting his gaze linger on a passing Beast Master for a few seconds longer than Shinji was comfortable with.

"Look, if you're gonna be part of this team, then the least you can do is stop pissing off your teammates."

"I apologise. I will try to control myself from now on."

Shinjiro accepted this warily. Kirijo seemed like the kind of man who would keep his word. Then again Kirijo didn't seem like the kind of man who'd look up a sleeping girl's skirt. He'd have to keep an eye on him.

* * *

Arriving back at the classroom, the two could both feel an unmistakable tension in the air. Masaru seemed like the world was on his shoulders and Aki looked similarly nervous. Dai and Samantha seemed to be avoiding each other and Juro and Saiduq (Shinjiro would have to ask why he was there and introduce him to Kirijo later) seemed to be trying to keep the two calm. Mei and Agnus seemed to be the only ones who were calm in all this, and that was mostly because it seemed that they either hadn't noticed the tension, or more likely, didn't care.

Shinjiro coughed into his hand and all eyes were soon on him. Deciding to put the awkward feeling aside for now, he instead turned to Masaru. "Have you picked a target yet?"

Quickly rising, Masaru grabbed a file and handed it to Shinjiro. "Her name is Damia, she's a Succubus so we'll have to be extra careful."

"A Succubus?" Shinji asked while opening the file and seeing a picture of a girl with black hair which flowed pat the boundaries of the photo. She had a seductive smile on her face, which bore no flaws. Perhaps what was most noticeable was the horns on her head which were pure white. That or the fact that she seemed to be going to considerable effort to keep her large breasts in the picture.

"A Succubus is a demon of lust. They seduce men, and occasionally women, and turn them into their slaves. Their entire bodies radiate something which makes people see them as objects of desire. You have to be careful or she'll worm her way into your mind and make you hers, forever."

Looking over the file (And ignoring the fact that Kirijo was now looking at the picture of the attractive Demon), Shinjiro looked at the details. According to this, she had been a contestant in the previous 'Academy's hottest' contest and had won. It also stated that she had missed almost all of her classes with the exception of one, How to charm and captivate people. She hadn't missed a single session of this class so if they went after her there, they'd definitely find her.

"This class, when's it next on?"

Masaru checked another file and then glanced at the clock. "Fifteen minutes."

"Okay, we need to go there. Now."

The group nodded and Masaru guided them out of the room. Mei could be heard asking if she could experiment on her after they won but she was once again denied. The only two who hadn't left were Dai and Juro. Dai looked even angrier than he had before. Juro placed his hand on his shoulder. "I know this isn't gonna be easy for you. But we gotta go."

Dai said nothing but left the room anyway. Juro followed him, worried that he'd lose control again.

* * *

The way to the class was cold. Very cold. Ice could be seen all around them and they had to be careful they didn't fall. Juro and Saiduq were shivering and most of the others looked chilly as well. Strangely Kirijo and Aki seemed to be the only ones who weren't affected, despite the latter's chest being exposed, a fact which the others began complaining about.

It was surprisingly quiet on the way there which put the group on edge. They only calmed down when they finally reached the class and looked inside one of the windows. As soon as they did, over half of them ducked down.

They hadn't been expecting Mao to be there.

Pulling the members who were still looking (and were chuckling for some reason) the group began to strategize. "We can't go in there. Mao might attack us and we can't afford to fight his team right now."

"I think I saw Gin in there…" Agnus stated, confusion in his voice.

"Another set of hands would help but right now I'm not taking that chance. We wait till he leaves before we make our move."

The others nodded and they made their way to an alcove in an ice wall and waited with their weapons drawn. After about ten minutes the door opened and Mao rushed out, followed by the trench coat wearing Demon who Juro fought last time, the blue haired man that had bested Masaru and a girl with silverfish white hair who none of them recognised. There were also a bunch of random minions but none of them were important so the group paid no attention to them.

After them came a trio of girls dressed in pink. The first of them was a short girl with bright pink hair and a skull shaped necklace. A book was held tightly in her arm as she walked. Behind her was a girl dressed in an outfit which bore some similarities to Takehisa's. Both were tight outfits with wrappings in place of sleeves and both had a scarf wrapped around their mouths. The main differences were that this outfit was mostly in pink and that it had a front which opened up to reveal a surprisingly large amount of her cleavage. The last girl was dressed in what appeared to be Hakama and Haori, though the latter was open to reveal bandages wrapped tightly around her chest. Like before the outfit had a large amount of pink in it.

The group was surprised to see Gin, still dressed in his black suit run up to them and begin walking with them. He looked completely out of place next to them yet he seemed perfectly happy. They all wondered if one of them was Raspberyl the girl he had gone to rescue, but no one asked, focusing on the mission at hand.

As soon as Gin and the three girls were out of sight, they saw her. Her face was just like in the picture, smooth and with a distinctly lustful expression. She wore a pair of shorts which emphasised her long legs, accompanied with a very small black tank top with white lines specifically placed in places that would make people look at her breasts. A pair of heels were on her feet, even though they never touched the ground, a pair of lack wings making sure of that. A tail darted out from her lower back and flayed around behind her.

No one was denying that she was VERY attractive. Especially not Kirijo, whose brain seemed to have shut off since he started looking at her. A quick smack to the back of the head from Shinji fixed that.

With their target in sight the group leaped down and made a barrier In front of her. She paused at this but instead of looking worried or even annoyed, she gave a very seductive smile at the group. "Oh my. My fan clubs never been this active before. Come to do with me as you wish?"

She flicked her hair as she said this, puffing her chest out in the process. The group didn't move. Instead Shinjiro simply readied his axe, making his intentions known.

"Ohhhhh! I've never had anyone bring one of those before. You must have some… interesting tastes." She leaned forward as she said this, rubbing her hand along her leg while making absolutely certain to lower herself enough to let people see down he tank top.

"Shut up. We're not here to admire you or satisfy your lust. We're here because you're powerful and we need to defeat you."

"Defeat me? That doesn't sound very nice. And I bet that if you do, you'll just do horrible things to me. After all, I'd be completely at you mercy." She said these words with mock fear which soon dissolved back into her usual sultry tone.

Shinjiro was getting sick of this and decided that now was the time to charge her. He quickly closed the distant between them and swung his axe at her. The problem with using a heavy melee weapon against an enemy who could fly however was that they had plenty of time to fly over your attack and counter with a kick to the face. The point tips of her shoes made the kick more painful than it would have been otherwise and Shinji was sent reeling back, clutching his face.

"Did that feel good? I hope so. I just LOVE it rough!"

She was about to bring her heel down on Shinji's skull when a bullet flew past her head. Juro took a brief moment to look at the gun he had just fired before smiling and continuing to fire, clearly happy with the amount of recoil the thing produced. Damia was forced to begin dodging the attacks as he continued firing. The look of pleasure never left her face, in fact the danger seemed to excite her more.

She was so focused on trying to stay out of Juro's line of fire that she didn't see the large angry man running toward her and who she was unwittingly flying closer to. Just as she did notice, Dai jumped towards her and slammed into her with both his weapons. The attacks themselves barely did anything to her but the impact was enough to force her to the ground. He would have attacked her again, this time aiming for her head, if it weren't for her kicking him in the groin and then using those brief seconds of agony to knock him back and get back up.

Before she could resume flight, she found that Aki and Agnus had managed to get over to her and began their own assault, Aki using swift strikes to force her to duck and weave but not giving her the chance to fly, while Agnus made similar strikes with his spear, aiming mostly for her wings. Neither was landing a hit on her and it looked less like she was dodging and more like she was doing a seductive dance. She was clearly loving every second of this fight.

"Ya know, this is fun and all but I can't help but feel like there are too many of you guys. I mean how am I meant to handle all of you? So why don't you cut me a break?" When she finished speaking, there was a quick flash of pink and suddenly Aki and Agnus stopped attacking. Shinji was confused and was about to go over to see what was wrong when Masaru and Mei extended their arms in front of him.

"That flash… That was a Charm spell…"

"And that is?"

"It makes those affected the casters slaves. She's in control of them now."

As if to prove the two of them right, Aki and Agnus turned, revealing that their eyes had a slightly pink hue to them.

"Now you two take care of them and I'll be sure to give you extra special attention." Damia shouted, even though the people she was talking to were right next to her. Both of them suddenly grew maniacal grins and charged their former allies. Rushing forward, Saiduq intercepted Aki and the two began to have a fist fight, both matching the other move for move. Masaru also moved in order to deal with Agnus. He may have been faster than the spear user but Agnus had greater range and was keeping him at a distance. With both of them distracted, Samantha ran past, hoping to take down the Succubus quickly before anyone else got charmed.

Damia however had taken advantage of the distraction and had taken to the air again, making sure to stay out of Samantha's range. "Ooh! I've never had a kitty for a fan before! I'm sure I can arrange some time for you~!"

Samantha was getting frustrated by the flying Demon and was trying to find a way to jump high enough to reach her. However whenever she would come close to doing so, Damia would move and avoid her, forcing her to find some other way to get to her. Damia was enjoying this and probably would have kept doing it for hours, if it weren't for the fact that Juro and Kirijo had reached a good sniping position and were now firing at her, again targeting her wings.

"Now how are you two supposed to join the fun if you're all the way over there?" Before either of them could react, she dived down, narrowly dodging Samantha before soaring back up and latching her hands onto both of their heads…

And burying them in her chest.

Juro was clearly trying to dislodge himself while Kirijo seemed perfectly okay with their current situation. A few seconds later there was another pink flash and Juro's struggles stopped. When she released them, it was clear that they were under her control.

"Now go play with those friends of yours and I'll give you both a treat later~!"

Both nodded and began firing on the rest of the team. Shinjiro and Mei quickly dived under a nearby cliff, preventing the two gunners from attacking them. Samantha was forced to dodge for several minutes and one of Kirijo's bullets grazed her shoulder before she was able to join them. Thankfully Saiduq and Masaru were already out of their field of vision so they could afford to continue their fight. Dai on the other hand was taking quite a few bullets to his legs, his upper body protected by his axe. As soon as he reached the safe area, he collapsed and started clutching his legs.

Damia just watched this all, enjoying the carnage she had just created. "This is so much fun! Such a spectacle of chaos~! I'm feeling so good just watching it! But how about we make things even more fun?"

Deciding that more chaos meant more excitement for her, she soon flew over to where the group was hiding. There she released another burst of pink and waited…

And waited…

Until it became very clear that nothing was happening.

"Oh? That's never happened before…"

The group didn't know what to think but she seemed to have frozen in confusion, which gave Mei enough time to throw her axe at her. The heavy object colliding with her chest wasn't enough to knock Damia out of the sky but it did make her stay still long enough for Dai to force himself to his feet and tackle her again. This time he made sure that she was in no position to hit him in his sensitive parts again and began punching her, his weapons having been dropped when he jumped. Despite the attacks clearly injuring her, they left no sign that they had been there but that was probably due to her Succubus nature.

He probably would have beaten her right there, if Kirijo hadn't been such a good shot and hit him in the side of the head. It wasn't enough to kill him, but it was enough to force him off her, which led to another kick, this time to his chest.

At this point Shinji was sick of waiting and tried to rush Damia again. While he attempted to actually hit her, a task which was proving amazingly difficult despite all the injuries she had already taken, Samantha used the fact that the snipers were focusing on him now to grab Dai and drag him to safe ground before he got shot again. She didn't like him, but she knew that he was useful enough to keep him alive. When she got back, Mei was gone and was nowhere to be seen.

Saiduq had finally made progress in his fight with Aki and had landed a serious punch on his ribcage, leaving him stunned long enough for his attacker to uppercut him in the face and then sweep his legs with one of his own, sending him crashing to the floor.

Masaru had also made progress, managing to get a hold of Agnus' spear and stabbing him in the chest until he passed out of blood loss. With both their charmed allies defeated, the two fighters decided that now was the time to go and help their allies. Saiduq decided to start climbing one of the ice walls so he could hopefully deal with the gunners. Masaru meanwhile began to spin his sword in front of him at such speeds that it blocked out many of the bullets fired at him. Hopefully with this he could cover Shinjiro long enough for Saiduq to do his job.

Juro finally had a good angle and was ready to fire a bullet directly into Shinjiro's head. He was about to pull the trigger when he felt a pair of hands press against his back and push him off his perch. He collided with the ice head first and was rendered unconscious instantly. Mei was pleased with herself for thinking of this but could not enjoy it for long when she felt a bullet enter her leg and Kirijo threw her after the charmed gunner. She managed to land on her side and remained conscious but her injuries prevented her from standing immediately.

To make matters worse, when he threw her off the cliff, Kirijo noticed Saiduq and began firing at him. Because of the surface they were on, the gunfire kept him at a safe distance but also kept Kirijo's fire away from their allies so in a way it was still what he'd set out to do.

With no more gunners to worry about, Masaru stopped spinning his sword and Samantha stopped hiding out of sight and both of them rushed to help Shinjiro. Just as they were about to though, Damia began to talk.

"So many of you! I'm so excited I could just-" Bringing her hands up to her mouth, she closed her eyes and began to shiver. After a second she spread her arms, let out a sound of pure pleasure and released a wave of fire. The blast from the attack knocked Masaru into an ice wall and sent Samantha back to where she had been a few seconds ago. Shinjiro had also been badly burned by the attack and been forced to his knees.

"Well this was fun. But I think it's time we finished off. After all I've got so many more fans to see."

A fire appeared in Damia's hand as she approached, her seductive smile still plastered onto her face. He wanted to get away but he couldn't, his legs were in too much pain to move. All the others were in no state to help him either. He could only think of one way out of this and it was a long shot.

"Kirijo! Why are you listening to her? If you do what she say you'll be trapped here forever!"

Nothing happened. Kirijo didn't even seem to acknowledge that he was being spoken to. Damia was getting closer now, he had to think of something!

"What about Mitsuru?"

Kirijo stopped firing. His gun was still pointed at Saiduq, who had taken the break to stop moving, but he wasn't pulling the trigger anymore.

"I thought that you wanted to get back to her, to save her from what Ikutsuki did!"

Kirijo was shaking now. Memories were starting to fade in through the hypnosis.

"_Father, would you care to fence with me?"_

"_Father, I don't understand this phrase."_

"_I promise I'll find a way to stop the Dark Hour, father."_

"_Father."_

"_Father."_

"_FATHER!"_

He jolted upright when the memory of his final moment entered his minds. How could he have forgotten that? How could he forget that his daughter was in danger right now? Never again. And he proved this point by quickly turning, grabbing Juro's dropped gun and shooting an off guard Damia in the wings, just before she could bring the ball of fire down on Shinji's skull.

For the first time, one of the attacks did some lasting damage and the Succubus was forced to grab her wings in pain. The moment she did this though, she had lost. For seeing his chance, Saiduq dived from his position, landed in front of her and punched her straight in the stomach before hitting her in the back of the head with his shoulder sending her right in to the path of Shinji as he forced himself up, hitting her in the nose with his head. This plus all her other injuries proved too much for her and she collapsed to the floor.

Everyone who was till conscious let out a sigh of relief when she finally stopped moving. That fight had been too long for comfort and now they just wanted to get out of there.

Dragging the unconscious behind them, the remaining teammates soon found themselves at the Dimension gate. One by one they went in until it was only Shinjiro and Kirijo left. "I want to thank you Aragaki."

"Huh?"

"You brought me to my senses, reminded me what I need to do. Thank you."

"Yeah well, thanks for saving my life. Though next time try not to get seduced by the enemy."

"That sounds like a fair deal."

With thanks said, both stepped through the portal and quickly made their way to the infirmary. It had been one of their harder battles today but they had somehow prevailed. And all but one of them hoped for something that day.

"_I hope I never fight a Succubus again."_

* * *

**I have never had to emphasise parts of the female body as much as I have this chapter alone. Sorry if this chapter seemed a little long, I got a little carried away.**

**Special thanks to Mossnose for sending in Damia. **


	20. Chapter 19 Prince of Lies

**Chapter 19 – Prince of Lies**

* * *

It took a very long time for Matildo to heal all their wounds. Shinjiro needed even more attention than the others because of how badly burned he had been and for the badly broken nose Damia had given him. Looking over his injuries in their entirety made the others wonder how he was still conscious, let alone just sitting there like this was all perfectly normal.

During this time, Dai approached Samantha, an annoyed expression on his face. "Look I know what you did for me back there and… Thanks. Maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe. This doesn't mean we're friends though!"

And with that he turned away. Samantha also turned away before muttering, "I'll take it for now but you still gotta make it up to me."

When the others had finished being treated, Mei was approached by a Prinny, though it was not a normal one. This Prinny was black and wore a black and white stripped ribbon around its neck. It looked up at Mei and gave a salute before speaking in a younger, more effeminate voice than most Prinnys. "Mei-sama. We would like to report that another Human has been spotted."

This caught everyone's attention and soon all eyes were on the Prinny. Mei was the first to ask the obvious question. "Where?"

"According to the reports from the other Prinnys, a Human male was spotted lurking around the entrance to the Overlord's castle."

Shinjiro contemplated this information. Another Human who also seemed to have his eyes set on the Overlord. Who could it be? Whoever it was though, Shinji had to find him.

"As soon as my wounds are healed, we move out."

The others nodded before leaving to check on equipment and skills they could get. Kirijo and Masaru stayed with Shinji though.

"How many Humans are going to show up here?"

"Beats me. All I know is we gotta find this guy, he might be our ally."

Kirijo remained silent throughout this. He had started thinking ever since they came up with their theory on how they got here. If that was true then maybe…

No. They would check first. He couldn't risk losing an ally just because of his suspicions. And besides, if it was him, he'd be sure to send him to Hell this time.

* * *

The group all met up outside the Dimension Gate. Exchanging new items amongst themselves, everyone listened as Agnus began talking. "The Overlord's castle is well guarded, everyone be careful."

"He's right. We're not strong enough to take on the Overlord yet and his servants will probably be more dangerous than most of the things we've fought. We find this other Human, and then we get out of there." Masaru stated, not bothering to hide the fact that he thought this was a bad idea.

"Yeah, I see where you're coming from with that." Saiduq stated, looking nervous for the first time. Aki turned to face him.

"So you're joining us again?"

"Yeah, that last fight was fun so I figured I'd help out again. Though I expect payment next time."

"If you're done talking, let's move." Nobody argued with Shinjiro and instead followed, some nervous that they were heading somewhere so dangerous, some determined to find this other Human in spite of the danger and Mei excited at the idea of taking on the Overlord's servants (and dissecting them).

After making their way through the portal, the group found themselves in front of a stone staircase. There were balconies on either side of the stairs, each concealing at least three doors. and a large door at the top of the steps. Apart from this, the area was empty and if anything, that just made everyone more nervous.

"You don't think he's inside do you?" Aki asked no one in particular.

"If he is, it's not worth the risk." Juro stated, holstering his gun and turning back to the portal. He stopped when he heard something, something the entire group was now trying to find the source of.

It sounded like someone muttering something, though just what was being said was a mystery.

"The Hell is that?" Dai wondered out loud. Everyone else was wondering about it as well. Finally something clicked in Mei's head.

"It's a high level spell! Everyone run!"

This warning came at just the right moment for the group to dodge a pillar of fire rising from beneath their feet. Landing on his feet, Agnus spotted a man in a red robe and a face concealing hood. Even with most of his face shrouded in shadows, it was clear that he was smiling. Just before Agnus could alert the others, the man seemed to burst into flames and vanish.

After three minutes of silence and darting eyes, the group returned to the centre of the area to discuss what happened. "Everyone okay?"

Everyone nodded at Shinji, all looking somewhat worried about what had just happened. The silence was heavy, everyone thinking the same thing, but none of them bringing themselves to say it. Eventually Shinjiro decided to give his orders.

Before he could however, they heard a yell come from behind the doors at the top of the stairs. Wasting no time, Shinji ran to them, the others reluctantly following. Throwing the doors open, they looked for the source of the sound. In the distance they could just see a man who was yelling and flailing his arms around in anger.

"I was so close! Why? Why did I have to die now? Why why why why why?"

To most of the people there, the voice was unknown but to Shinjiro and Kirijo, it was all too familiar. Kirijo wasted no time pulling out his gun and advancing on the man, who was too busy yelling to notice them. Shinjiro also approached albeit at a slower pace. Finally Kirijo reached the yelling man, who finally noticed him, and raised his gun.

"Ikutsuki."

"You?" Ikutsuki glared at the suit wearing man. "You're the reason I'm here!"

"I could say the same to you. You shot me too remember?"

Despite his anger, a sick smile crawled onto Ikutsuki's face. "Well at least I know that you failed! I may be dead, but the Fall will still come to pass!"

"This 'Fall', is it truly the end of all?"

Ikutsuki didn't answer but his growing smile was answer enough. Kirijo had done well to remain calm so far, but he had finally reached his limit. Without a second hesitation, he shot Ikutsuki right between the eyes. The glasses wearing man collapsed to the floor just as the others reached him.

"Why did you do that?" Aki yelled, having no heard there conversation.

"Because he killed me, and endangered my daughter's life. Is that enough reason for you?" Kirijo replied calmly, as if he hadn't just shot a man in the face.

"Umm, well… I guess that's a good reason…"

"Glad you agree."

Shinjiro stared down at the face of the man he once took orders from. To be honest, he had never liked the man. He always seemed too enthusiastic about their circumstances. The only reason he followed him at all was because it was what Akihiko and Mitsuru had done. But despite this, he never thought the guy would go so far as to try and start the Apocalypse. It sickened him that he had followed his word, even for such a brief period of time.

With the man they had come for dead, Shinjiro turned and started to leave, the others doing the same, except Kirijo and Mei.

"Can I dissect him? I really want to know what Humans look like inside."

Kirijo said nothing but gave a gesture that implied he approved. Shinjiro also made no effort to stop her, and they both knew he had heard her. Drawing a scalpel, she approached the corpse of the former SEES advisor and prepared to cut into him.

She was caught off guard by a sudden force slamming into her side and sending her to the ground. Kirijo, hearing the sound turned just in time to be shot in the leg.

"It's amazing how my body can take so much more damage in this world isn't it?" Ikutsuki said while jumping to his feet, blood still pouring out of his forehead. The others all approached with their weapons ready. Despite being outnumbered and with a large amount of weapons pointed at him, Ikutsuki looked confident and was actually starting to freak some of the team out with his demented face and the look in his eyes that gave the impression that he knew what he was doing. Mei and Kirijo recovered and joined their allies in surrounding the somehow not dead man.

"Well? Why are you just standing there? I'm right here. You outnumber me. Surely you can kill me right here. What are you waiting for?"

Saiduq didn't know who this man was, but he was starting to annoy him, so he did what he always did for things that annoyed him. He attacked it. Ordinarily this would have been enough to punch the glasses wearing man's head clean off. The only thing stopping that from happening was the fact that just before he could strike, Saiduq was hit with nine arrows to various parts of his body and he was sent collapsing to the ground. Suddenly worried, the others all began darting back as more arrows began to fly around them, all missing Ikutsuki of course.

When each of them reached safe grounds, Ikutsuki started to laugh. "That was even easier than I thought. You've really lost your edge Aragaki-kun!"

"I'm not done yet!" Shinji yelled, running from his cover, strategically located behind Ikutsuki, and began dodging arrows as he approached his enemy.

"IKUTSUKI!"

* * *

**I know. I'm a jerk for cutting off there, but I have my reasons. First, I felt you guys deserved something to tide you over till the next chapter. Second, I just did a big fight so I wanted to give at least one chapter of break from that while also providing set up. And Third, the next chapter is the twentieth and I want to do something special for it. I think that a full chapter of fighting Ikutuski should be special enough, don't you? **

**Anyway, I'm sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger like this but hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon so you shouldn't have to wait long.**


	21. Chapter 20 Wrath of the Moon

**Chapter 20 – Wrath of the Moon**

* * *

Ikutsuki made no effort to run, he was content just standing there looking smug. Shinjiro would reach him in only a few seconds and when he did he wouldn't hold back. The archers hiding in the shadows must have known this as they released a second volley of arrows at the running man. Fortunately for Shinji, Mei had used the trajectory of the arrows used to hit Saiduq to figure out where they were coming from and had told the others. With this information, Samantha was able to stop six of the nine arrows, one with each hand, one with each foot and even catching one with her tail and one with her teeth. Aki blocked the remaining three but since he lacked Samantha's grace, he instead just used his body as a shield, taking a serious injury to his shoulder in the process.

Shinji was thankful for their help, but couldn't afford to stop and help. He had to deal with Ikutsuki first. He reached the grinning man and without missing a beat swung his axe down, hoping to cleave the liars head in two with a single strike. Sadly Ikutsuki was a lot more nimble than he appeared and performed a backflip to dodge the attack. "Why are you so angry Aragaki-kun? After all, now no one will feel sorrow or guilt at the end. They will embrace it, just as you did."

Ikutsuki's tone made it impossible to tell if he honestly meant what he said or if he was just saying it to piss him off. The effect however was the same, namely that of Shinjiro attempting to slam his shoulder into the glasses wearing man, which was easily avoided with a back step, followed with an upward diagonal swing of his axe, which was more narrowly avoided by Ikutsuki entering what looked like a limbo stance.

While Shinjiro continued to attack his enemy, Mei decided to lead the others to where the arrows were coming from, with the exception of Dai and Agnus who stayed to pull Saiduq behind cover and remove the arrows from him. "If I'm right, they're just a bit higher."

The group was climbing to reach their opponents, who had picked the most annoyingly high place imaginable. Surprisingly while all the others were progressing at a fairly slow pace, Juro was climbing incredibly fast. The others assumed that this was because of his long, thin arms and legs making it easier for him to reach places to put his hands and feet and less likely to slip off them. At this rate he'd reach the first archers platform in less than a minute while the rest of them would take at least three.

With help from the others, Saiduq pulled the last arrow out of his chest and discarded it. Looking out from behind the statue they were hiding behind, he surveyed the battle. Shinjiro was still trying to hit Ikutsuki while Samantha and Aki were still blocking any arrows from hitting him and, whether intentionally or by accident, where providing a distraction for the other members of the team. Thinking quickly, he turned to the other two. "They need our help. Anyone got any ideas?"

Agnus seemed to have something. "Dai, use you're axe like a shield to block those arrows. Tell Aki to go help the others! I'll try to help Shinjiro! Saiduq… do whatever you think's best!"

Neither of them objected and Dai ran from behind the statue towards the others, making sure to hold his axe in front of himself. Saiduq also ran in that direction and joined in on trying to catch the arrows, which he was less skilled at than Samantha. With both of them gone, Agnus vaulted over the statue and made a rush for Ikutsuki. Hopefully his attention was drawn more to Shinjiro and he could take him off guard and end the fight quickly. This hope was unfortunately shattered when Ikutsuki turned his head slightly, gazing at him with a sinister smile and the light reflecting off his glasses to obscure his eyes. Before Agnus could react, Ikutsuki raised his gun and shot him in the forehead. It wasn't enough to kill the Demon or even knock him out, but it did disorient him and sent him to the ground, his vision spinning.

"Don't interrupt. This is between me and Aragaki-kun." Ikutsuki said, still dodging Shinji's attacks as he did. "Though to be honest this is getting pretty boring. Have you lost your edge in death?"

Shinjiro didn't answer with words, instead just beginning to swing faster. Even now though, he couldn't hit. Was Ikutsuki always this dangerous? Did something happen to him since he got here? Why couldn't Shinji hit him?

The other group was also dealing with their own questions. Specifically, why had Juro kept climbing when he reached the first archer? He didn't even attempt to deal with the guy, who hadn't noticed him. Instead he just kept climbing, even faster than before. To make up for this, Masaru doubled his efforts and soon reached the platform. Unlike with Juro, he was spotted and the archer quickly changed his target to him. His reflexes were just fast enough to draw his sword and, barely, deflect the arrow away. While narrowly dodging and blocking arrows, he called back to the others, "I got this one. Keep going!"

The others obliged and kept climbing, the sight of Masaru getting gradually closer to the enemy archer ignored for the sake of their mission.

Dai, Samantha and Saiduq were busy blocking and catching the arrows and were quickly getting tired and injured. They had sent Aki to go help Agnus then to help the others while they dealt with this. Samantha was doing the best out of the three of them, but she couldn't keep this up for much longer. The loss of one of their attackers was good but they were still in serious trouble.

Saiduq was in bad shape, he'd already taken nine arrows and now he was getting hit with even more every so often. It was only a matter of time before one hit his leg, which had already been injured in the first volley, and sent him crashing to the ground. Not thinking straight, Samantha got closer to him to try to cover him. This was a poor choice as it made her lose focus on where the arrows were coming from and one was soon coming straight towards her head and she had no way to block it.

Surprisingly, it was Dai who saved her, diving in front of her with his axe held at just the right height to block the arrow. She hadn't expected him to ever even attempt to save her and she wasn't sure how to feel now that he had. Without even turning his head, Dai muttered, "We're even now."

Even though he couldn't see her, she nodded before pulling the arrow out of Saiduq's leg. He wouldn't be able to stand for a little so Dai would have to stay there to cover him. With this thought in her mind, Samantha ran out from behind Dai's makeshift shield and resumed catching the arrows aimed at Shinji.

Speaking of Shinji, he was getting more and more frustrated. No matter what he did Ikutsuki would just keep dodging. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that the glasses wearing man didn't seem to be getting tired and wouldn't. Shut. Up.

"I'm amazed you have so many allies Aragaki-kun. You never struck me as a team player."

This was REALLY annoying now. If he didn't hit the bastard soon, he was just going to tackle him and see if that shut him up.

"Why aren't you using it?"

That statement just confused him. Use what?

"Did you lose it when you died? Do you not want to use? Or maybe you're afraid that without those pills, you'll kill again?"

Realization shone in Shinjiro's eyes. He meant his Persona. Would that help him? Probably but, while he hated to admit it, Ikutsuki was right. Ever since he died he'd been afraid of using Castor. Without the pills, could he control it? And even so, he felt his connection to the Persona was weaker than before. It became stronger after he used it against Mao but now it was fading again. Would Castor even show up this time?

All these thoughts were plaguing his mind. He couldn't think straight. And that's exactly what Ikutsuki wanted. When Shinjiro's attacks slowed down, he raised his gun and fired three point blank shots into Shinjiro's chest. Each one hurt like Hell and the vest didn't do anything to stop them from entering his body. He was soon sent crashing to the ground, his axe falling from his hand. With the same smug look on his face, Ikutsuki walked over and kicked the axe away from him before pointing his gun at the Shinji's head.

"You should feel honoured Aragaki-kun. Most people don't get to die twice."

"I can't… die here…" he rasped as he felt blood rise up his throat, an unfortunately familiar feeling.

"Why? What makes you wish to keep fighting? Isn't a peaceful death preferable to suffering?"

"Death isn't the answer. What the world needs… is someone to end the suffering! They knew that… And they were right."

"Who? You're former teammates? Those foolish children who didn't know the hardships of the world! They prolong Humanities suffering! I seek to end it! I am the one who truly cares for the world! More than SEES! More than Kirijo! And definitely more than that girl!"

Confusion flashed across Shinji's face at that last comment. Ikutsuki noticed and continued, his face dropping slightly as if simply remembering was annoying. "Most of SEES were content to simply yell when they learned what I had planned. But the Arisato girl… she said the same thing to me that you just did. She wished to let so many suffer because she was afraid to die."

This last comment was accompanied by him pressing his foot to Shinjiro's wound, sending agony through his entire body, while removing his Evoker from its holster. "She was even able to turn Aigis against me! It was her fault I lost! I was going to end all suffering and that… that bitch cost me my life! Well now I have a second chance! I'll return and become the Prince that will guide the new world to prosperity! But I'm afraid you have to die before that can happen."

Pulling back the hammer of the gun, Ikutsuki was ready to take his shot. With his foot still planted squarely on Shinji's chest, there was no way to avoid the inevitable shot. It was just a matter of time before it entered his brain and ended his life for the second time. But Shinji didn't care. He was flailing his arms and legs around, not trying to get free, just so he could get close enough to rip this bastards head off. Shinji had stopped listening around the point that he insulted Hamuko. Even if he hadn't already doomed the world, Shinjiro would have killed him simply for what he said about her.

Sadly, even with all his thrashing, he couldn't get free. He was too injured to force Ikutsuki's foot off and the act of trying just made his enemy laugh at how weak he looked. The laughter ended though when both men heard what could only be described as a war cry. Ikutsuki turned and quickly dodged to avoid getting a hole punched in his chest by Aki. He had just finished forcing a healing item down Agnus' throat and saw that Shinji was in trouble. He wasted no time in rushing to his aid and had gotten there just in time. Now that he had launched his first attack, he was persistent not to let Ikutsuki get a chance to fight back and continued with a series of rapid kicks and punches, none of them connecting but all of them forcing the treacherous man back.

While he was doing that, Agnus, who was still sporting a small hole in his forehead, was helping Shinjiro to his feet. The bleeding was bad and his body wasn't as strong as his Demonic friends. If they didn't do something soon, he would die. Agnus was persistent to get him to cover and give him some simple first aid to stop the bleeding. He couldn't understand why Shinji was struggling against him.

Shinji was too angry to give up, too determined to see this man die. Somehow he was able to force his arm free from its place around Agnus' shoulders and he stumbled away from the Demon. Taking slow, pain filled steps, he approached Ikutsuki, who was too focused on Aki to notice he'd gotten up.

"Ikutsuki…" He said faintly, his voice so quiet that only he could hear it. Agnus once again tried to grad Shinji's arm and get him too safety but recoiled. He looked at his hand in shock. Had touching Shinjiro just burned him?

"Ikutsuki." Shinjiro said again, loud enough for Agnus to hear him. But the word didn't register in his mind, as he was distracted by something. To his knowledge, Shinjiro had no access to wind magic. So then why was wind starting to build up around him?

"Ikutsuki!" This time both Ikutsuki and Aki noticed him. Both stopped their battle when they saw him. Beneath his feet was a glowing blue circle, the light seemingly fixing his wounds.

"IKUTSUKI!" He yelled one final time. Now all eyes were on him. The archers fired at him, but none of their shots pierced the magic circle. Ikutsuki tried the same but, again, it did nothing. Then all their eyes widened as something floated in front of Shinjiro. A card glowing the same shade of blue as the circle beneath his feat. With the knowledge of what to do seemingly just appearing in his mind, Shinjiro raised his hand around the card.

"CASTOR, END THIS!" He roared, crushing the card in his palm as he did. Everyone was blinded by light as the horse riding Persona emerged from Shinjiro's body, looking bigger than it had ever before and radiating power. Again the archers fired at the beast but the Persona didn't even acknowledge that the arrows existed. None pierced it and it prepared to attack.

Ikutsuki was worried. He had seen the power a Persona possessed and no matter how strong his new body was, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of one's attack. He looked desperately for a way out. There had to be a way!

Aki meanwhile took this chance to slip away from him. Like ikutsuki, he had also seen what this thing could do and it was smaller back then and not giving off the same 'I could destroy everything in a ten mile radius' aura that it was not. He figured it was best to grab Agnus and then do what Dai, Saiduq and Samantha had already done. Hide.

And he picked wisely as Castor soon rose into the air with great speed before falling even faster and slamming straight into Ikutsuki. The injury was severe and the suit wearing man became covered in serious looking injuries before Castor picked up his body and threw it into a nearby abyss, it slamming into a wall before dropping down.

The archers witnessed this and their leader gave the order to retreat just as Juro reached him, the two noticed each other and the archer gave a sinister smile before some sort of spell caused him and his subordinates to vanish.

With all the threats gone, Shinjiro forced Castor back inside him. The others were about to rush over to him when suddenly his face contorted in pain. He clutched his sides and sank to his knees. The others ran faster to get to him.

"NO! Stay back!" He yelled through gritted teeth. Looking closely, Aki noticed that along with the pain was a look of absolute focus on Shinji's face, as if he was struggling with something.

And that's exactly what he was doing. His anger and determination may have made Castor stronger but it had also made it crave blood. He was having to focus with all his being to keep it under control. But it was a losing battle. Castor was re-emerging, slowly and began lashing out in all directions.

"_Dammit! It's happening again! I won't let it… I won't let you kill again!"_

Desperation was pouring through his veins. He needed to find a way to stop this. As he tried, memories came flooding in of the last time it happened. That night he took someone's life and ruined the life of another. He always felt the guilt of it, how he had killed someone in that alley. It was only fitting that he died there too…

"_S-shiji!"_

His eyes snapped open as another memory entered his mind. Her face. And she was crying, begging for him not to go. She saw good in him. She wanted him to live. She had given her love to him and then he let himself die.

He would not fail her again.

Slowly Castor began to retract into his body.

"_Don't cry…"_

He made her cry, he needed to fix that.

"_This is how… it should be…"_

NO! He thought it was but now he knew he was wrong!

"Castor! You won't…. hurt anyone else…! You… will not… make her cry!"

And with that roar, he forced Castor back into his soul and passed out.

The others all gathered around him and the ones in the best health picked him up and carried him back to the portal.

None of them noticed a gentle smile on his face. His soul was enjoying a moment of peace and a fond memory of a girl whose smile he would see again one day.

* * *

**And there you go! Hope you enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed writing it! And don't worry, from now on we'll be seeing more of Castor.**


	22. Chapter 21 Clashing Soul

**Chapter 21 – Clashing Soul**

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It hadn't been a long walk to see Matildo and get healed, but the silence made it seem longer. Most of the group had never seen a Persona before and the ones which had been fortunate enough to see one had never gazed on one as powerful as Castor. They were all left in wonder at its power. Though none would admit that it scared them a little. It was clearly unstable, as proven by how it lashed out at them, its master's allies. What if this happened again and he couldn't control it? None wanted to think about it.

Some of them had different thoughts to the others though. Aki couldn't help but feel a little weaker than he had before. He was strong but then this Human summons something that emitted so much power that he could feel it in his soul. What allowed him to draw on such strength? Could he call the same strength one day?

Masaru's mind was already flooding with possibilities. That power could be just what he needed. One fact about him that most people didn't realise was that his mind never slowed down. He was always running strategies and numbers through his head, analysing and evaluating. He was currently checking how Castor would work for his goals. Sadly no matter how many times he checked it, it still came up at 50% completion of his task, at best. Maybe if he could find out how Shinjiro could summon it then he could do the same. Then…

Surprisingly, Dai was the most sympathetic to what Shinji was going through. After all, he knew what it was like to struggle to keep control over part of your own being. Shinji had been strong, but he knew from experience that that kind of inner conflict never really stops. He hoped that Shinji could handle it.

Mei was, of course, contemplating whether it was possible to dissect a Persona to see how they work. And in case that didn't work, she could always dissect Shinjiro and see if there were any changes to his biology because of the Persona. Then again, she'd need a normal Human for comparison. She'd just have to dissect Kirijo before then. Or after, it didn't really matter as long as she got results.

Agnus was angry and insecure. Not only had he been useless in that fight, but he had been beaten AND saved by Humans! He was a Demon! He shouldn't be losing to Humans, let alone need saving by them! But that's how it had always been… It was Humans who kept him safe while he was too young to defend himself, and a Human who was the reason he was even here. Maybe Humans were stronger than him. Maybe they always will be…

For the most part, the others were just content with thinking about how powerful the Persona had been and how dangerous it seemed and how badass Shinji looked when he summoned it. One of them however had pushed all thoughts of the horse riding apparition from his mind. Juro had been walking at the back for quite some time and made no efforts to catch up to the others. He was focused only on one thing, the archer's leader. He recognised the man, and it was clear that he too was recognised. It was him, no doubt about it. And if he was at the Academy then… Juro would have to act fast. This man only ever brought pain and suffering with him and he would inflict both of them fast and with style. All while bearing that sinister grin. After all, he wasn't called the Grinning Reaper for nothing. Juro had to stop him. He just had too.

These thoughts would probably have continued for hours, if something hadn't caught their attentions.

* * *

Shinjiro didn't know where he was. Not that he really knew where he was before but now he didn't even seem to be in the Academy. Instead he was in a void of some sort, the only feature being the strange circular platform he was standing on. Four pillars emerged from the platform and suspended a roof above him. There was literally nothing else for as far as he could see.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" He called into the darkness. Almost immediately he got an answer, coming from much closer than he expected.

"Geez. You don't have to shout…" Replied a familiar voice. How familiar?

It was his own.

Whirling around, Shinjiro saw a figure leaning against one of the pillars. The man seemed to have appeared out of thin air. The most striking thing about the man was his appearance though. He was dressed in what appeared to be a black one piece suit with a bulletproof vest over it. A white mask covered his face while long blonde hair poured down his back. Alarmingly there was the broken head of a spear sticking out of his chest.

Shinji could recognise this man in a heartbeat. His guardian, his prisoner, the cause of all his suffering for the past few years, the one who guided him to his greatest joy, the other side of his soul.

Castor.

While Shinjiro got over his shock, Castor pushed himself upright and walked up to him, the two being the same height in this realm. He got close enough that the spearhead pressed against Shinji's chest. His mask hid all his emotions and his eyes were hidden in shadows. Then he continued talking.

"Why'd you stop me?"

"What?"

"You stopped me! I could have done so much, but you held me back! You forced me back to sleep after I was finally awake! Why?" His voice was angry, as if he'd been holding in all his aggression and was releasing it all at once.

"You were going to kill someone again!"

"Why should I care? Who cared about you? No one! You're an orphan who loved to pick fights, and whose only friend cared more about his own strength and guilt than on whether you were in pain! Ikutsuki used you for his own goals and most of SEES was too intimidated by you to really care! You shouldn't care if they die! Because they didn't care when you did!"

Most people when faced with an aspect of themselves that acted this way, they either embraced it and lived a life of violence and destruction or would reject it in horror that something like this could exist inside themselves. Shinjiro however was not most people. He knew that this was a part of him but he didn't want to accept what it said. So what did he do?

He punched Castor. Hard.

The Persona recovered almost immediately and struck its own fighting stance, this one somewhat different from Shinji's own. While Shinji used a stance similar to Akihiko's boxing pose, Castor crouched slightly and extended both arms, like he was a wrestler waiting to grab his opponent.

"I get it." Shinji said clearly, his hands never leaving their position in front of his face.

"What?"

"I gotta thank you for letting me know. I might never have figured it out if you hadn't started talking."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're a part of me. That much is obvious. But now I know why I could never control you. Because deep down, I've always been angry at the world. At everyone and everything. But I tried to hide it, stay calm and just get through life. You got all that anger and hatred that I was suppressing. And if I wasn't careful, you'd let it out on everyone. That's what you are."

"You got a problem with that? Yeah, I got your anger! But you won't let me get rid of it. Anger doesn't just go away! It has to go somewhere!"

"I know. That's why we're here."

Before either could speak again, Shinji lunged forward and narrowly missed hitting Castor a second time.

"I gave you all my anger! Now you can give it all back!"

Castor recoiled slightly at this. Of all the things for his other self to do, that was not the one he had expected. A chance to let out all that anger without harming anyone? That's an interesting solution…

"You should know that if I killed you here, you'd die in the real world too."

Shinji didn't answer. Instead he just held out his hand and made a gesture which Castor could only interpret one way.

_Bring it!_

No more words needed to be said. The battle between man and mask had begun.

* * *

**Hmmm, this is the second time I've had the characters reflect after an appearance by Castor… **

**Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter and look forward to the next one.**


	23. Chapter 22 Man or Mask?

**For the record, I feel you should all listen to this while you read this chapter (Though it's your call)**

** : / / www. youtube watch ?v=IORp_o7bnvM**

**(Remember to remove the spaces and add http)**

* * *

**Chapter 22 – Man or Mask?**

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One problem with facing yourself is that you and your opponent will, for the most part, use the same moves as you, in the same situations as you would. This fight started with an incident like this, ass both Shinjiro and Castor raised their right fists and jabbed it into each other's faces. Both recoiled immediately at this but wasted no time raising their left legs and kicking each other in the sides. Again both recoiled and took a few steps back from each other.

The two combatants stared at each other, both strategizing on what the other would do. Both men figured out that they should expect a right punch aimed at their stomach, so they should dodge to their right and counter with an elbow to the back of the head. Both charged and readied to execute their strategy. Castor was caught off guard when, after he dodged, Shinji shifted his body and jabbed him in the gut with his left elbow, knocking the wind out of him.

After catching his breath, Castor looked up, anger flaring through him. Standing before him was Shinjiro, his stance firm and his expression determined. Seeing him this calm just made Castor angrier and he soon charged again.

This wasn't good for Shinji. Before Castor had been calm enough to plan his actions and, since they were the same, Shinji could counter them. Now Castor was acting irrationally, he could do anything. He'd have to think fast if he wanted to win. Like how he raised his arms to stop Castor from delivering a powerful strike to his face. His arms absorbed the attack but it still hurt like Hell and forced him back a few inches. He would have countered if Castor hadn't immediately spun around and brought his leg to Shinji's arms again. This time there was enough force to knock Shinji on to his back.

Since he hit his head when he landed, he was disoriented for a second and almost didn't see Castor about to body slam him. With barely a second to react, he rolled to his right and narrowly avoided being crushed by the Persona's muscular form. Wasting no time, he rose to his feet and kicked Castor in the face before he could react. This kept the Persona down for a few more seconds.

This was Shinji's chance for a counterattack and he wasn't going to waste it. He proceeded to tackle the masked man and the two were sent rolling towards the edge of the platform they were on. If he had bothered to look down, he probably would have frozen up. There was no end to the void in sight, maybe it had no end. He didn't notice it though. All that mattered was this fight. With Castor pinned beneath him, he grabbed the back of his head with one hand and began pummelling it with the other.

He landed about ten punches before Castor caught his hand and began squeezing it. The grip was like a vice and Shinji could feel the bones in his hand snapping. The pain flowed throughout his body and flooded his mind, and that was all Castor needed. With a shift of his body and a great push, Castor forced Shinji off the edge of the platform, his hand still wrapped firmly around Shinji's broken one.

"How does it feel to be so close to death?" The Persona asked, the words barely registering in the young man's mind. Still he heard them, and he had enough strength to respond.

"What'll happen to you if I die?" He rasped, pain still being the most pressing matter to him.

"I'll return to the realm of the unconscious and find a new host. One who won't deny himself as you have." He squeezed Shinjiro's hand harder as he said this, concern for his other side gone.

"Tell me, will my anger travel with you?"

"Like I said, anger doesn't just fade. I'll release it all. I guess it'll just have to be with another host!"

"No! It's my anger! You'll release it all now! I won't have you risking others because of me!"

The Persona roared with laughter at this. For a second it looked like he'd laugh so hard he'd drop his other side, but his grip stayed firm.

"Oh that is rich! You caring about others? What a load of bullshit! You don't care about them, you never did! They were so annoying to you that sometimes you wished they'd all just go away!"

"No. I never-"

"Cut the crap! You hated the world because you knew it hated you. Why else would you be an orphan? Because no one could save your parents. Why did Miki die? Because no one gave a crap about preventing that fire. Why do you live on the streets half the time? Because no one will take someone with a face like yours! The world hated you. So why shouldn't you hate it right back?"

Before Shinjiro had stayed strong in the face of Castor's accusations, but now it was getting under his skin. All his questions were piercing the shell he'd made around himself and making him wonder.

_Is this what I really feel?_

But no matter what, there was one flaw with its accusations. One thing that proved that he still cared about something in this world. Something that nothing this creature said could take away.

He was a member of SEES. They were the closest thing he had to a family, albeit a strange, distant one, but a family none the less. And right now they were in trouble, and he'd rather face Mao, his teammates, Damia and the Overlord armed only with his bare hands than leave them in danger.

"You may be me, but even you don't understand. I swore that no one else would die by my hand. And if I give up here and they die because I wasn't there to protect them, then it's as good as killing them myself! I am a member of SEES! And I won't abandon them again!"

Castor seemed amused by this answer, letting out a light chuckle. "And what if they die before you get to them? What if they don't make it here like you did? What then?"

"Don't know. Cause I'll be done before that happens!"

"HA! And how will you do that? I just have to loosen my fingers a little and you plummet to your death!"

Shinji didn't speak. Instead he did something which truly confused the Persona. He smiled. He smiled with pure confidence. That determined look in his eyes was perhaps the scariest thing the being had ever witnessed as it screamed one thing and one thing alone.

_I will win. You will die._

And before he could wonder how Shinji could feel that, the beanie wearing man raised his legs and pushed against the platform, the force from this being strong enough to drag Castor off and sending them both plummeting into the abyss.

Shinji didn't give Castor a chance to recover from his shock as he soon grabbed the mask wearing Persona and slammed him into the column, which continued to stretch on forever. The impact broke the surface of the pillar and created a trench as Castor's face continued to slam into the thick concrete. After twenty painful seconds, Castor pushed off and sent Shinji flying further into the abyss. Seeing his host defenceless and too angry to try to prevent his own fall, Castor brought his arms and legs together to make his body more streamlined, increasing the speed of his decent.

He just caught Shinji smile before he felt a beanie clad forehead slam into his masked face. Even though he had gravity on his side, stronger facial protection and gravity on his side, Castor found himself easily sent back by the attack. To make matters worse, the impact, combined with the damage it had already suffered, caused his mask to explode. Underneath it was Shinjiro's own face, albeit with a pair of sinister yellow eyes. He was currently scowling, a mix of anger and pain flashing across his face.

Castor was able to glance over to where his enemy was and couldn't believe what he saw. Not only was Shinjiro engulfed in blue light but he seemed to be defying gravity and flying straight towards him. He raised his arms to defend himself but Shinji punched so hard that they were forced apart. With nothing stopping him, he then punched Castor in the chest so hard that not only did the front of his vest shatter, but the back of it exploded from the force.

Then, with all the force he could muster, Shinji propelled his arm up and struck Castor in the chin so hard, that the doppelganger was sent flying all the way back to the platform they had originally been fighting on. He struggled to get up, but stopped when he saw Shinji effortlessly float up and approach him, that same determined gleam in his eye.

"Feel better?"

"No, actually I feel like shit." Castor responded, his tone calm despite his words. To further contrast what he said, there was a smile on his lips, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Seeing this, Shinji also smiled and offered his hand to the Persona, who looked like he'd just been through Hell, something Shinjiro could sympathise with. Accepting it, Castor found himself dragged to his feet and pulled into a very unexpected hug.

"All this time I blamed you for what happened. But it was my anger that drove you to do it. You were right, I did hate the world. I wanted it all to go away! But they gave me reason to live."

He pulled away and looked the surprised Castor in the eyes, his own eyes shining with a sad sincerity. "So please, help me save them. Help me save my reason for existence."

Castor stared for a few seconds before his lips began to tug upwards and he chuckled slightly. "Of course. We all need our reason, let's save yours together."

Taking a deep breath, Shinji gave Castor a frim stare. "I am Shinjiro Aragaki, Persona user, member of SEES, and leader of this group of Demons. And you are me."

With this said, Castor closed his eyes, his smile never fading. "Heh. Glad you agree. But you've gotta get going. Don't want to keep Hamuko waiting."

Just as Castor said this, Shinjiro was engulfed in blue light and vanished. Castor stood there with the same content look on his face, until a voice broke his thoughts.

"Wasn't that a bit risky?"

Turning, Castor saw a purple silhouette in the shape of a man with spiky hair. Even though he had no eyes, it was clear that the being was looking at him.

"He needed to release his anger if he wanted to control his Persona."

"And what if you killed him? What would become of our plans?"

Castor's smile turned more playful as his outfit shifted from the combat gear he had previously been wearing to a barely visible black shirt under a white coat extending to his knee and a pair of white trousers. "Don't worry. I made sure that he would live. I can't afford to lose someone so useful, especially when he is just proving his worth."

The being sighed and shook it's head, clearly unhappy with that response. "Look, I'm just wondering if you needed to go so far."

"Of course." Castor replied as his hair extended and he tied it into a ponytail. "He needed to learn his own faults, and people like him learn best in a… physical manner."

"Just don't go too far. We might not get a second chance with this."

"Don't worry. I'll be careful, old friend." A mask appeared in Castor's hand and he placed it upon his face. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to take care of."

And with that, Castor disappeared into thin air. The purple apparition soon followed.

* * *

Shinji soon awoke in a familiar bed. He HAD to stop waking up here, it was worrying. Then again this bed was a lot more comfortable than the desk and chair back in the classroom. With a grunt, he pushed himself up and stretched his arms over his head. He was relieved to find that his real hand wasn't badly broken. Matildo already charged a lot and he doubted a spontaneously crushed hand would be a good thing to have on his tab.

His thoughts soon drifted however as something very important caught his eye. The main hall seemed completely different now. It was hard to describe, the best he could come up with being that if you looked at it from above you might see a capital E with a few bits sticking out of it. All the shops were now aligned on the same side of the room. The dimension gate was now further away than it had been before and Takehisa's platform was now next to it.

Another thing which struck Shinji was that it was suddenly very clean. Before it had looked very grey and grimy. Now it was clean and shiny. His brief experience with Demons had taught him that this was unnatural and that he should be worried.

A voice from came from behind him. "I see you've noticed."

Spinning around, he saw Kirijo, his hand clenched on his gun, staring directly at him. "What happened?"

"That's what the others have gone to find out. It was like this when we got back from the Overlord's castle."

"How long have they been gone?"

"Not long. You should get some more rest. They probably won't be back for a while."

Shinjiro didn't argue and rested his head on the pillow again. He knew that something big was about to happen and that he'd have to be ready for it.

* * *

**Well I had a lot of fun with this one. BTW, I've been meaning to give the characters titles and Evilities for a while so I'm gonna do it now.**

**Shinjiro: Persona User (Determination: When HP hits 0, restore 10% of max HP (Once per battle)) **

**Kirijo: Kirijo CEO (Icy heart: 50% more damage dealt but healing items and spells effect are reduced)**

**Chidori: Ex-Strega member (Spring of Life: Regains 10% of max HP per turn)**

**Aki: Fight fanatic (Enthusiasm: Stats increase by 10% * the number of enemies on the field)**

**Masaru: Ronin strategist (Tactical attack: Stats increase by 10% * number of allies on the field)**

**Dai: Blade expert (Dual wield: One less armour slot, but can use two weapons)**

**Juro: Sniper (High ground: 99% accuracy when shooting at lower targets)**

**There, if anyone else wants to send in their titles and Evilities for their characters, go ahead. I may deny them though if their too powerful. Try to send in three since that's how many main characters learn (Hence these guys will learn at least two more before this story is done).**

**To Demons Anarchy:**

**For an Evility for Samantha, I had an idea for one (Arrow catch: 70% chance to negate normal bow attacks) If you don't like this than that's fine I just wanted to put it out there.**

**And to answer your question KO, I live in Britain, where it can sometimes take months for us to get games that the rest of the world already has. Hell, P3P was out in America for over a year before we got it.**

**Anyway hope, you all enjoyed it. See ya next time.**


	24. Chapter 23 Death of the Past

**First thing's first. I've got an announcment to make. I would like to say that, thanks to all the information they've sent me, Mirai666 is now an offical collaborator for this story. I'd also like to say thanks for all that info, as its really helped me out in planning future events.**

* * *

**Chapter 23 – Death of the Past**

* * *

Before he had been scared of the dreams, after all they showed him bad memories and horrifying images. Now though, he was just fed up of them. He recognised this memory immediately. It was when he was a member of SEES back when it was just him, Akihiko and Mitsuru. This was the night it all went wrong.

Before anything could happen though, he raised his head and started yelling. "Whoever's doing this can cut the crap!"

Everything froze at his words, Akihiko and Mitsuru froze mid run and even the Shadow they were chasing was still. He kept talking despite this. "I know that whoever you are, you're just gonna show me some shit I already know then some imagery and cryptic words that are meant to mean something then just push me back like it never happened! Why don't you just get to the point?"

For a few second nothing happened, then Akihiko and Mitsuru vanished, along with the Shadow and Shinji was left alone. A few more seconds, Dai appeared, is weapons drawn, some sort of darkness amassing around his back and head. In front of him was a woman with a malevolent grin, dressed in a black dress with a cut down the middle which stopped just before her waistline. Her wings, tail and horns as well as her…. Figure, proved that, like Damia, she was a Succubus. Fire flared into her hands as Dai drew his weapons, the intent to kill this woman radiating off him. Looking closely he could see that in the fire was the image of several people in agony. The most prominent of these was a woman with dark hair, easily in her mid-thirties. Something told him this woman was important but he wasn't sure why.

And just like he expected, the two began speaking in unison, a thousand voices mixing with their own. _"Two pasts have come to join each other, leading to the same future. The torn warrior must make his choice, but the queen of suffering may tear him apart."_

Looking closely he could see that in the fire was the image of several people in agony. The most prominent of these was a woman with dark hair, easily in her mid-thirties. Something told him this woman was important but he wasn't sure why.

The fire in the woman's palm spread, engulfing all of them. Despite knowing it was a dream, Shinji couldn't help but panic and desperately try to get the fires out. When it finally faded, Dai and the woman were gone and he was once again in a black void. He looked around and spotted Hamuko before him. He didn't waste time and began running to her.

As he ran, the images flooded his mind once more along with new ones. This time he saw a monster with green skin and a sinister glare, a man with a mask with a strange pattern on it and finally a man turning into a monster engulfed in light. The images hurt even more than ever before but after taming Castor, he felt strong enough to do anything and he kept running till he finally reached Hamuko and pulled her into his arms. He held onto her like his life depended on it.

"For all I know you're not really her, but listen anyway. I will make it back. I will keep you safe and if anyone hurts you, I will make them suffer pain ten times worse. As long as I breathe I will keep you safe."

He felt her fading but he didn't look. He just kept talking to her. "I know you have to go. Wait for me there. I won't let you down."

She faded completely and he was left alone. But he felt no pain or sadness. He could indulge in those as much as he wanted if he failed. But he was just getting started. He didn't have time for sorrow.

From behind him, he heard the same hundred voices as before._ "When despair fills the world, the prophet will seek hope. He will emerge from darkness and vow to save the queen."_

Sighing, he turned to find a mysterious apparition. It was in the shape of a man with spiky hair and was entirely purple. It had no features on its face but he still knew it was looking at him. Despite the mysterious appearance of the entity, he approached it without fear. When their faces were only an inch apart he spoke in a whisper.

"I don't know who you are, but if you're my ally, be a little clearer. And if you're my enemy, know that I will end you if you get in my way."

The apparition seemed to chuckle at this. "Maybe he was right about you. Maybe you do have what it takes."

And then he was gone and Shinji felt himself wake up.

* * *

His vision was blurry as he opened his eyes, everything appearing as blobs of colours. As his eyes adapted, someone leaned over him and he spoke before he could stop himself.

"Hamuko…?"

The colours shifted in a way that implied that the figure was tilting their head to one side. After a second he heard a familiar voice. "That's the second time you've called me that…"

Finally his vision cleared and he could see that, while physically similar, the girl hovering over him was not Hamuko. Instead it was a confused looking Mei, who looked like she was about five seconds away from violating his personal space. He quickly rose and pushed her back enough for him to sit up. Sitting around him were the others. Everyone looked tense, as if someone was watching them but they didn't know where this person was. He'd never seen them looks so worried.

Well, except Masaru. He didn't look worried and was instead holding his head to the ground and knocking on it every so often. Shinji decided not to ask what he was doing. Instead he turned to Kirijo and asked what he needed to. "Do we know what's going on?"

Kirijo shook his head. Aki answered in more detail. "From what we found out, while we were gone all the students started acting like Delinquents. They started cleaning up and… well, you can see the results for yourself."

Juro, who had been spinning a bullet around his hand, quickly rose to his feet. "It's not natural man! What if we start acting like them!? I'm no Delinquent! No one can make me one of them!"

Dai rested his hands on the gunners shoulder. "Relax. No one can make us like them. And if they try, they'll get a taste of my sword."

Juro accepted this and sat back down. Some of the group noticed that the way Dai had said it may have been to comfort himself as well.

For the next few minutes no one spoke, the occasional sound of knocking from Masaru providing the only noise. Then, catching everyone off guard, Masaru jumped to his feet and planted his sword into the ground. Pulling at the blade, he lifted one of the panels out of the stone floor and looked down the hole in the ground.

A few seconds later, someone emerged from the hole. She was a girl wearing a beanie hat with folds in it resembling a cat's ears. Resting on her forehead were a pair of goggles with lenses that, again, resembled a cat's. She had shoulder length blonde hair and a sneaky smile on her face. She was still too far into the hole for Shinji to see anything below her chin.

"Masy!" She yelled enthusiastically.

"I told you not to… you know what forget it. What can you tell me about what's going on?"

"You're not even gonna ask if I'm ok? You jerk!"

Masaru didn't answer. He was perfectly content to just stare at the girl till she answered his question. She sighed. "Fine. From what I saw, most of the Freshman were taken somewhere and when they came back, they were like this."

"Where were they taken?"

"Looked like the Audio-Visual Room."

"Strange… That place hasn't been used in years. What else can you tell me?"

"A few minutes ago, Mao went to check it out himself. He didn't look too happy with the changes to the Academy."

"I can imagine…"

"Anything else?"

Masaru thought for a moment before answering. "Steal anything good recently?"

"Maybe~."

Masaru held up a stack of money.

"Oh I just rembered. I stole this awesome spear!" Raising her arm, she clenched what looked like a glaive of some sort. It had a strange pattern on the side of it and looked like it was made from a strong metal.

"Oh yeah!" Agnus yelled before approaching to take it. Another hand snatched it before he could though. "What the Hell!? I'm the spearman of this group that should be mine!"

Mei didn't even bother looking at him, examining the blade instead. "So? I've been stuck with my back up axe all this time. I deserve a new toy."

Shinji could sense an argument brewing and cut them off before it could start. "If you prove you can use it, then you can keep it. If not, give it to Agnus."

She nodded with an enthusiastic smile. "Deal!"

Agnus grunted before turning away from her. "I expect to get it soon."

While this was going on, Masaru handed the thief the money in his hand. She took it in a second and stared at it in joy. After safely pocketing it, she turned back to Masaru. "I bet you're going to the Audio-Visual Room."

"That's for them to decide. Personally I don't care."

"I wonder if you really mean that."

"… See ya around Eiko."

With a quick wave, Eiko dropped back into the ground and Masaru placed the stone back where it was. He then approached Shinji and sat next to him.

"Who was that?" Shinji asked.

"Eiko, a thief. She does jobs for me in exchange for money. She was the one who got all those student files for us."

"And her info's reliable?"

"Hasn't been wrong yet."

Shinji contemplated his options. He could just ignore what was going on and keep training or he could investigate and risk running into Mao or something even worse. But looking around, he saw how badly this was affecting everyone. He couldn't risk them fighting in this state. They needed answers and the Audio-Visual Room was where he'd get them.

"Get ready, everyone. We're headed for the Audio-Visual Room."

* * *

As all this happened, an archer walked down a dark corridor. He looked very smug and carried himself with an air of confidence, as if he was the best and knew it. When he reached the end of the corridor, he emerged into a realm of light where a man in a white suit waited for him. He bowed slightly.

"I take it my work was to your satisfaction?"

The man in white didn't turn, or rise from the seat he was in. "Indeed. The result was exactly as expected. Though was it wise to simply abandon Ikutsuki?"

"I felt he had done his purpose. There was no need to keep him."

The man in white sighed before pouring himself a drink. "You never looked at the big picture did you? No matter. Kasei and Eiji retrieved him and Koetsu has deemed him worthy of being experimenting on."

"Hmph, all right. I'll try not to let anymore assets die. Happy?"

The man smiled slightly. "I'll hold you to that. Now go. I have much to prepare for."

The archer bowed again and left. The man in white smiled again and took a long sip from the golden drink in his hand. "Finally. Everything's going according to plan."

* * *

**The plot is picking up now. I'm sure you all know what's gonna happen next chapter. **

**BTW, here's the rest of the teams titles and Evilities:**

**Mei: Mysterious Demon (Death Wish: Adjacent enemies have their stats decrease by 50%)**

**Agnus: Raging Half-Breed (****Half-Blooded: Increases human and demon character stats by 25%)**

**Samantha: Flirtatious Feline (Arrow catch: 70% chance to negate normal bow attacks)**

**Saiduq: Slave Driver for Hire (Beast Master Imitate: Increase any monster type ally's stats by 25% if deployed on the field)**

**I would also like to point out that it is not too late to send in OCs including antagonists. Time is running out though, so if you do want to send them in, please do it soon.**

**Anyway, that's all I got for now. See you all next time!**


	25. Chapter 24 United by War

**Chapter 24 – United by War**

* * *

Preparations went swiftly, the Demons getting everything ready quickly so they could leave sooner. Shinjiro and Kirijo were also moving as quickly as they could. The sooner this was done, the sooner they could get back to work. Shinji came to a halt in his preparations when he felt a tug on his leg. Looking down he saw that same black Prinny that had spoken to Mei earlier. It was holding something in its hands.

"Mei-sama had a spare one of these. She thought you should have this." Extending its fins, Shinji saw that what it was holding was some sort of twisted red ornament. He wasn't sure what it was meant to be but he doubted that Mei would give him something that would harm him, not after she had more than enough chances to experiment on him while he slept. So, not seeing any risk, he accepted it and put it in his second inside pocket. He observed that between this and that Imperial Seal Gin had given him, he was running out of pockets but that wasn't a concern right now.

The others had gotten all their gear ready and were now on their way to visit Takehisa, who was thankfully not affected by whatever was happening to the students. He decided it was best to follow them. Aki, Dai and Juro had already been and now it was Masaru's turn.

* * *

Masaru's mind deeply contrasted with either Shinjiro's or Aki's. While they had been in strange or surreal environments, Masaru didn't seem to be anywhere. His mind was a black void with no sign of light. Also unlike the others, he only had two pillars, both in the shape of Dragons. The first had a sword embedded through its neck and the second was wrapped in chains. While he stood in the centre of the plain for Shinji and Aki, Takehisa drifted quite a distance away from Masaru, as if he was stuck drifting on the outskirts of the realm.

"You know I can't truly help you unless you let me, Zam." He said, his voice somehow sounding perfectly clear despite the distance between them. Masaru paid no attention to him and began ascending the staircase around the taller, chainless pillar. "You cannot reach your full potential unless you let others help you, Zam."

"I'm not here for a lecture. Now stop talking, I need to focus." Grasping the blade by the handle, Masaru pulled and easily removed it from its confinement. The Dragon seemed to come alive for a moment and ascended, revealing more of its tail as it did. Eventually it stopped and remained perfectly still as the staircase expanded once more. With his purpose done, Masaru jumped down and waited for Takehisa to return him.

With a sigh, he obliged and the two returned. Takehisa couldn't help but think something to himself as the young Ronin walked off. "Still a child. Your people raised you better than this Masaru…"

His thoughts on the matter would have to wait however as Shinji soon approached him and the two entered his mind again.

* * *

Shinji had hoped that the fire was symbolic of his anger, the rage he had supressed finally making its presence known. He had hoped that when he fought Castor and learned to vent it properly the fires would fade and that he could have a more peaceful visit next time.

So of course that wasn't the case.

Instead the fires were even stronger than before and were starting to form a ring shape around the area. So that pretty much scrapped the idea that it was anger based. So, just so he was clear on the subject, he had a fire inside his mind with an unknown source that was getting bigger and he had no idea how to stop it.

The Universe clearly loved him.

Takehisa looked worried too. No doubt he expected the fires to have faded by now. At this rate they would consume the entire area and then…

Shinji didn't want to think about what would happen to him then.

He had to get out of here soon. While the fire was purely symbolic of something, it still affected him like regular fire. He was starting to sweat, both from the heat it produced and from the memories the fire stirred in him, both old and new.

He only barely noticed that the pillar of truth was taller and had less chains around it, no doubt due to him taming Castor. He decided instead to keep climbing up the pillar of the axe, the heat somehow intensifying the higher he climbed. Not wasting any time, he grabbed the axe and pulled it free. Just as before the pillar rose higher and the stairs continued to coil around it before it stopped once again.

The fires flared as it did this and the heat became nigh unbearable and he ran back to Takehisa, his mind registering the new technique as quickly as possible. As soon as he reached the Ninja, they both left, more than eager to escape the incredible heat.

Both were thankful for the cooler atmosphere of the Academy. Shinji left without a word and Takehisa took a moment to regain his composure. He had never experienced a force so powerful in any mind he ever visited. To be honest, it scared him, especially since he had no idea just what it was that made it.

He could only hope that his boss could figure it out.

* * *

Everyone noticed that there was a tense air as they approached the Audio-Visual Room. Shinjiro and Masaru were being even more quiet than usual. The mood wasn't helped by the fact that on their way to their destination, numerous unconscious Demons could be seen. They had seen something like this before, though on not quite as large a scale. And it just put them all on edge.

After all, last time they saw anything like this, Mao completely destroyed them. And the DEFINITELY didn't want a repeat of that.

Finally, they reached their destination. The door was already open slightly and they could hear someone speaking on the other side, though the words were lost to them. Juro was the first to approach the door and looked inside, careful not to open the door yet. Inside he could see most of the Freshman class gathered in an unnaturally orderly fashion. The sight of it sent shivers down his spine but he forced himself to keep looking into the room. On stage was a man in gold armour with hair the exact same colour. He looked like he was saying something, but he wasn't sure who exactly he was speaking to.

And then he looked at the area closest to them. He wished he didn't have to. Just as he expected, Mao was there, and all his allies too. They looked even stronger than before and there were even more of them now. They now had a Slime demon and what looked like a Magic Knight but Juro paid them no attention. Instead, he focussed on the three girls in pink, the ones they had seen before their fight with Damia. Gin was there too, so hopefully they'd have at least one person in this room who wouldn't try to kill them. Edging away from the door, he whispered what he'd seen to the others.

"That's a lot of people…" Shinji muttered, not liking the idea of taking on as many as Juro described. "But I guess we gotta go in there."

The others nodded, most of them not liking the idea of going in either. Shinji decided that diving in in the hopes of gaining the element of surprise was NOT the best idea and that they should instead enter slowly in the hopes of not being spotted and finding a good spot to start their attack. Shinji went first and crept in slowly. Thankfully everyone was too distracted by what the man in gold was saying, and he was too caught up in speaking, and didn't notice them entering one by one.

Once in the room, Shinji slowly approached Gin, who was thankfully at the back of the group, so they didn't risk anyone else seeing him. Eventually he reached the suit wearing Demon and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around in surprise, but calmed when he saw the familiar face of the man he still owed a huge debt. Noticing that Shinji seemed to be trying to stay out of sight, Gin spoke to him in a whisper.

"I hope you're here to help us out again."

"Depends. You here to stop whatever's happening to the students?"

Gin nodded and glanced back to the armoured man. "He's been talking for about half an hour. His words seem to put some sort of spell on the people who hear them. We came here to investigate."

"Same here. And Mao?"

"He doesn't want anyone other than him to defeat the Overlord. This is a threat to his ambitions so, here he is."

"Just as long as he's attacking them and not me and my group then I'm cool with it."

Gin smiled slightly. "Right now his focus is on them. And don't worry, if he tries anything, Me, Beryl, Kyoka, Askua, and Almaz'll stop him."

Shinjiro's eyebrow's raised slightly. "Beryl? Isn't she that girl you roped us into trying to save?"

"Yeah. And I'm sure she'd love to pay you back for that, even if we didn't do anything that actually helped her."

"If you two are done I have a suggestion."

Turning their heads, they saw that Masaru had somehow snuck up on both of them. They figured it was best not to ask how and instead just signal for him to continue.

"There are balconies on both sides of the room. Doesn't look like anyone's using them and they make a good hiding spot. If we wait there we can get the drop on any enemies when the fighting starts."

Both of them seemed ok with this and Shinji left to get ready, but not before saying one last thing to Gin. When we attack, make sure that your friends don't attack us."

Gin nodded and turned back to his own allies, waiting for the armoured man to finish talking.

Shinji decided that he would lead the group on the left side of the room while Masaru would lead the group on the right. On his team he had Kirijo, Saiduq, Samantha and Mei. Masaru meanwhile had Aki, Dai, Juro and Agnus. Each team had the same basic strategy: When the fight started, the group's leaders and heavy hitters would jump out and start attacking while the gunners and the spear wielders would stay behind to cover the gunner or jump into the fray if things go downhill. They didn't know what Mao's group would do and they could only hope that Gin could stop them from attacking them and focus on their mutual enemy.

Now all they had to do was wait for the opportune moment.

* * *

"God does this guy ever shut up?" Shinji muttered after twenty five minutes of listening to the guy droning on and on about some guy named Aurum. How was this even hypnotising people? It sounded like something someone read to a five year old when their bored, not something that gets people to completely reinvent their lives. From the looks of things his team agreed with him, looking increasingly bored, as if the threat of a horribly painful death at the hands of hundreds of Demons was something that was tedious and annoying.

At this rate he was hoping that someone would lose their temper and attack someone, if just so SOMETHING would happen. Hell, he was tempted to give the order to charge just so they could shut this guy up themselves!

Finally, after far too long, the man finished his speech with a simple, "… And thus, Aurum defeated the Overlord, and the world knew peace, happily ever after. The end."

"Oh God, he actually said 'Happily ever after'? What is with this guy?" Saiduq muttered, annoyance finally breaking through his cheerful demeanour. He looked like he just wanted to hit the guy now, a thought that they all shared.

Their anger wasn't helped when they heard the sound of clapping. The Freshman were honestly applauding that! Glancing over, they could see that Mao's group was showing several emotions. Annoyance, boredom and a noticeable amount of disappointment. The groups swordsman looked like he even realised just how stupid this all was. They could see the girl with pink hair stepping forward, as if she wanted to say something.

"Everyone, open your eyes! Don't be fooled by a cheesy hero story! Did you forget your Demon instincts!? Remember the time you drew moustaches on the famous people in your history books? And remember when you used to sneak around class, licking the pencils of the girls you liked?"

God, this was just as stupid! Why was everyone in this place crazy? Or better question WHY WAS HE EVEN HERE!? Shinji could feel his IQ dropping with every word everyone said in this room. He was glad that Mao appeared to start talking to the pink haired girl because at least it meant he couldn't hear the stupid anymore.

The students who had been listening to the man in gold were now focussed on Mao's group and seemed to be saying something to them. Mao started to smile evilly and whatever he suggested doing, his allies were trying to prevent. Something the swordsman said clearly annoyed him but the trenchcoat wearing man seemed to say something to calm him down.

Just after this, the man in gold started talking again, this time speaking directly to Mao's group. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! You guys are making a ruckus! Which one of your Rudypoos is it? Who wants to talk while Gold Knuckle is trying to get his work done!?"

"_Who has the name 'Gold Knuckle'!?"_ Shinji found himself thinking, wondering why he was even bothering to question what was happening. While he was thinking, Mao started talking, now clear enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"Do your work somewhere else, old man. This is an evil school for education."

"First of all, Gold Knuckle is not an old man. Gold Knuckle is a Senior! Who goes to this school!" This statement seemed to make the bored, disinterested nature of Shinji's demon allies fly out the window, to be replaced by a tense, worried atmosphere. Mao's team seemed surprised and nervous as well, as if the man in front of them had just caught a missile with his bare hands. "You don't mess with Gold Knuckle, Master of Beheading Kenpo! At least, not if you heeeeeaaaaarrrrrr-"

As he spoke, Shinji finally started to realise why he was able to hypnotise people purely by speaking. His voice and the way he spoke seemed to have an incredible charisma to hem, as if just by hearing his voice you would believe everything he said. The people on the ground seemed to notice it too yet they were able to resist it affecting them.

"Heh heh heh. Gold Knuckle doesn't even remember how many people fell prey to his Kenpo. But he'll show you the true power of an Evil Academy Senior. Let the veil of mystery be lifted!" Shinji didn't know what he meant by that, or what Beheading Kenpo was (Other than that it sounded painful) but when he said it, the hypnotised Freshman began moving forward, ready to attack.

Just a little closer and…

"Now!" Shinji yelled to his team. He was tired of listening to these insane idiots talking, and he was perfectly willing to let his anger out on these Demons, hypnotised or not, as an unfortunate Ghost found out when he jumped axe first onto it and nearly flattened it. Naturally, it didn't get back up.

Samantha and Saiduq merely shrugged at this and quickly jumped after him. Saiduq immediately started a relentless assault on an Eryngi, hitting any spot he could as fast as he could, while Samantha punted a Prinny as hard as she could, sending it flying. Its flight was cut short when Aki dived out of his side of the room and backhanded it back towards the stage. It collided with an explosive barrel, which for some reason was just there, and exploded in impact, injuring the three purple Orcs who were still nearby, since they'd been closest to the stage. Masaru and Dai dived out after Aki, attacking two Catsabers as soon as they landed.

Since he liked what Samantha had done with the Prinny closest to her, Aki decided to do the same with the Prinny closest to him, uppercuting it in her direction. She easily figured out what he was doing and kicked it towards another exploding barrel (Seriously what are those things doing here?) and the result was the same as before. Shinji almost felt sorry for the Orcs, who still hadn't gotten out of range and so got hit by the explosion again, but they were his enemies right now, so all they'd get from him was an axe to the face.

The two gunners decided that now was the time to start shooting, aiming for a pair of Mothmen that were moving across the room. While Juro's gun dealt more damage with each shot, Kirijo was firing faster and more than making up for his gun's weaker damage output. Mei and Agnus weren't happy about waiting with the two but they followed their orders and waited till they were needed.

Then, a huge fireball soared past Shinji's group and hit the group of students, easily defeating a pair of Slimes. Looking to where the blast had originated from, they saw that Gin and that pink haired girl seemed to have collaborated on that. They had looked just in time to see Mao and the man in white dash forward with their swords drawn. Shinji was worried for a second, what if Gin hadn't convince them not to attack? Had he even gotten the chance to speak with them?

Thankfully his fears were put to rest when they both dashed right past, their eyes focused on the Senior. Mao reached him first, the scarf wearing swordsman stopping to fight the three Orcs, a task that a woman with white hair and the trenchcoat wearing man, soon helped him with, each taking one of them on in direct combat. Each of the three had a noticeably different fighting style. The swordsman was dodging a lot but every time he attacked, he did so with precision and great strength. The girl was the exact opposite, rarely dodging but easily put her enemy on the defensive every time she swung her surprisingly large axe. How she was able to swing that thing so fast was a mystery to everyone who cared enough to notice. The gunner meanwhile had a style not to different to the swordsman, focusing more on staying just out of his opponents grasp. In contrast however, every time he dodged, he would fire a shot at his enemy, decreasing their speed each time.

While those three fought, Mao had reached Gold Knuckle and the two were fighting. Despite his heavy armour, the Senior was easily as fast as Mao and the two were at a stalemate. Mao's greater reach clearly gave him an advantage over the armour wearing man, who was fighting bare handed, but that armour also allowed him to deflect many of Mao's attacks, simply by raising his arms.

Since every enemy was preoccupied with someone, Shinji was free to pick whoever he wanted to attack. Part of him thought about immediately going to attack Gold Knuckle but he could see how dangerous that guy was. Instead he decided to help out the swordsman of Mao's group with that Orc. Since it was already injured, it was a simple matter of slamming his axe into its helmet to send it collapsing to the ground. He met the swordsman's eyes for only a second but in that second, the two understood that the other wasn't their enemy. Knowing that, the swordsman pulled out the same three swords he had used against Masaru and jumped towards the girl. She saw him and the second she did, she summoned a ball of ice in her hand and threw it at her enemy, trapping it between several ice spikes just as his first swords collided with its head and he used the familiar attack. Between the force of the two strike, the Orc collapsed just like the other had.

While all this had been going on, Shinji had used his axe to uppercut the third orc into the air, where the gunner then shot it several times before it came down into the path of Shinji's blade once again. With all three Orcs defeated, the four went to help Mao with his fight. He hadn't seen them coming, so he was a little surprised to feel a last of ice hit him in the side followed by a series of flaming bullets exploding against his skin. Before he could even turn to see what had hurt him, Shinjiro threw his axe at him, it sailing to the right of his enemies head. He would have laughed if not for Shinji then punching him with enough force to send him right after it, the swordsman repeating his earlier attack on his mid-air opponent before jumping back, having a good guess what was about to happen.

Shinji wasn't sure about this attack, it seemed impossible to him. But it had come from his mind after releasing that block so he had to have faith. Holding out his hand, he focused and could feel energy circling around his hand. Then he pulled his arm back and at that exact same moment, his axe stopped in mid-air and began moving back towards him at high speeds. It easily hit Gold Knuckle on its way back and the two came veering towards the ground. Gold knuckle impacted with it with enough force to break it and Shinji's axe moved back to his hand, as if a magnet was stuck to it. He didn't know how exactly he'd just done that, but he got the feeling he was going to be doing that a lot from now on.

Gold Knuckle moved to get back up, the ground apparently suffering more than he had. Just as he did however, something appeared directly in front of his face. A hand wrapped in green flames. Said hand then wrapped its way around his face and he could just hear Mao laugh before the flames exploded outwards, sending him flying back behind the curtain of the stage.

Shinjiro glanced back and saw that between the two teams, most of the enemies had been subdued and the groups seemed to have done a good job of working together to do so. But he knew better than to assume that an enemy was defeated easily, and he quickly looked back to the curtain which Gold Knuckle had been knocked behind.

Mao asked the very same question that was on his own mind. "Did we get him!?"

Unfortunately, Gold Knuckle emerged from behind the curtain, unfazed. "Heh heh heh! Doesn't even hurt! Don't think you can beat a Senior! I'm still bursting with energy!"

"Grr! Guess that's what makes a Senior! He's obviously garbage, just tough Gabrage! However I'm not allowed to lose to anyone but my dad…" Mao muttered, annoyed more than anything. Then again, Shinji didn't feel particularly tired so perhaps Mao was the same and the two of them could eventually wear him out. Come to think of it, he wasn't even worried about fighting this guy, just really annoyed that the guy had wasted half an hour of his life.

Before anyone could continue, a voice echoed throughout the room. "Stooooooooop, boom!"

You couldn't really miss the loud man dressed like a mix between a chef and a martial artist jumping into the middle of the room. And that was exactly the kind of way to describe Champloo's entrance. Aki and the man in white both reacted the same way to his presence, letting out a surprised cry of, "Master!"

"A Senior is out of your league! So I will help you in this cooking battle!" He yelled.

"This isn't a cooking battle…" Shinji said bluntly, though naturally no one listened to him. Mao seemed strangely annoyed that he was here, even though he was here to help them.

"Hmph! I don't need help from a Home Economics teacher! OR some random Demons who just burst in in the middle of the fight! Senior or not, I can beat my own idiots!"

The pink haired girl, who was much closer than anyone remembered, promptly called him out on this. "Why are you being stubborn? You've already needed our help!"

"Shut up! That was just you guys doing your own thing!"

Champloo didn't seem bothered by what Mao said and instead started laughing. "Hyahya. Mao, if you wanna be stubborn, do it for good food! Either way, I'm part of your crew!"

Gold Knuckle pulling a switch turned everyone's attention back to him. "Either way, you guys are gonna have to deal with me if you wanna leave this room alive! Let's get the main event started!"

Around him, more enemies dropped from the ceiling and more appeared on ledges around the room. Also falling were two blocks, one blue and one green. Just as they fell, the ground was illuminated and most of it became a mishmash of blue and green. Shinji didn't know what that meant but he assumed it wasn't good.

The real fight was just getting started.

* * *

**Since Cross'll be in the next fight, I may as well give you his character sheet now.**

**Cross **

Weapons: Spears, Guns

Skills:

All Gun and spear skills from A Promise Unforgotten, as well as Star and Wind Magic

Pierce (Cross' weapon glows blue as he -spear- throws it with electricity flows through it, and upon impact, explodes -gun- shoots with a flaming red bullet is shot from the barrel, and explodes upon hitting its target) Description: I never miss. Range: 8 (one target.)

Rapid fire (Cross' weapon begins to glow red as he jumps into the air and toss' it, his hands are actually glowing, and shoots the lights rapidly until the ground cracks) Description: When does he run out? Range: 5 (five targets in a straight line)

Bullet time! (Cross brings out two black revolvers resembling the Reapers, and begins to fire at an astounding rate until the enemy explodes from the amount fired) Range: 1 (four enemies adjacent to him.)

Appearance: blue hair that reaches to his shoulders, tied in a pony tail, also wears glasses with his left lense bearing a white cross and a black lense, and wears a long black tattered trench coat with a red scarf around his neck, along with a yellow buttoned shirt and black tattered jeans.

Description: A gunner who is not to be taken lightly. While he is mostly silent, he will often speak in a kind tone that seems to calm Mao down.

**Well, that's all for today. See ya next time for the TRUE battle with Gold Knuckle!**


	26. Chapter 25 Tools of War

**OK, before we start, I would just like to say that I recently saw the movie Skyfall. Watch this movie. It's awesome. Anyway, on with the story.**

* * *

**Chapter 25 – Tools of War**

* * *

Looking around the battlefield, Shinji made note of how many enemies there were. Apart from Gold Knuckle there were two muscular looking men with axes with two women with spears backing them up. On the ledge next to the stage were two boys in dark yellow hooded capes holding staffs. Next to them were those mysterious blocks, which still confused him. To the left and right, on the same platforms as the teams gunners and spearmen were eight girls, four dressed in a fashion similar to the head of the Student Council they'd fought not too long ago, and four dressed the same as Masaru's informant. There were two of each kind of girl on each side, the ones in dressed holding bows, while the others had pistols strapped to their waists.

The cat standing next to Gold Knuckle looked extremely out of place next to all these heavily armed people. None the less, underestimating your opponent was one of the biggest mistakes you could make, so he treated it as just as high a threat as anything else, until proven otherwise.

Everyone stood there for what felt like hours. They were all waiting for someone else to make the first move. That is until Mao got bored and decided to just attack the nearest enemy. The axe wielder he attacked easily blocked the swing of his sword and pushed him back. Mao was relentless though and kept swinging at the man, persistent to defeat him.

Everyone else took this as a sign to start fighting, and as soon as they did, pure chaos unfolded. Mei and Agnus both launched themselves at one of the archers on the platform with them. Agnus chose to aim for his enemies shoulder, hoping to stab through it and decrease her ability to fire arrows. Her quick side step made it so that the wound was only a graze and she countered with an amazingly fast shot to his leg. It hurt but he continued his assault regardless. Mei meanwhile has better luck as she had used her new glaives sharp side to cut straight through her archers bow and then in the same motion smacked her in the face with the opposite end of the pole. The blow caused her to lose her balance and she soon slipped and fell to the ground below. Mei didn't have enough time to celebrate her victory, when she felt an arrow from the second archer pierce her back, narrowly missing her left wing.

Kirijo had done the sensible thing and tried to move away from the two gunners who had dropped down next to him. Their shots kept landing just behind him as he darted back and forth, surprisingly fast for a man of his age. Unfortunately, since he was moving so fast, his own retaliation shots were incredibly inaccurate. He annoyed one when one of his shots damaged her goggles but it wasn't till he got a lucky shot to one of the two's knee that he made any significant progress in defeating them. Juro was taking a very different approach to the problem, standing almost completely still, but firing so accurately that he was able to deflect every shot that was fired at him, even though they were coming from two completely different directions. It seemed like this would go on forever, at least until he picked up several rocks and threw them straight at one of his enemies face. This stopped her from firing long enough for him to shoot the other five times, enough for her to collapse to the ground unconscious. The second soon followed and he started shooting at the archer now, who had been firing at Mao's group for several minutes now.

Dai had decided to do the same thing as Mao and was now facing off against the second axe using warrior. Charging into him, he knocked the man straight onto his back, but ran too fast and fell onto the ground himself. He rose just in time to raise his sword and block the man's counterattack. Swinging his own axe at the man's legs, he forced him back and the two began circling each other. Dai was so focussed on the man in front of him that he didn't notice one of the spear wielding women sneaking up on him. Thankfully, Aki's feet colliding with her face solved that problem for him. Just as he landed from his attack, he was almost impaled himself, but his fast hands allowed him to catch the spear and force it to the side. She would have kept attacking if not for the bullets flying at her, courtesy of the man in the trenchcoat, forcing her to keep moving, while also trying to land a good hit on Aki, which was surprisingly difficult.

The other spear user soon found herself in a duel with one of Mao's allies, a girl in white and pink using a spear of her own. They would each try to stab or slice through each other only to find the handle of their opponent's spear deflecting their attacks. The swordsman in white had decided to help Mao in his battle and, with him cutting deep into the guy's kneecaps and Mao then slitting his throat, the man dropped like a brick. With that done, both of them turned their attention back to Gold Knuckle, who was currently squaring off against Champloo and Shinji.

The two in question hadn't attacked yet and were instead thinking about the best way to take their opponent down. He was content with waiting for them to make their move, confident that he could counter anything they did. While he was caught off guard by the pair of swordsman rushing him, he was easily able to block both their attacks with his thick gauntlets. Champloo took advantage of this distraction though, jumping into the air and landing several quick kicks on Gold Knuckle's undefended head. Unlike other attacks, these ones seemed to actually affect the senior and he tried in vain to raise his arms to block them. Eventually Champloo finished his assault and Gold Knuckle would have attacked him in retaliation, if it weren't for something distinctly axe shaped slamming into the back of his head. It barely cut into him, but it was the first attack to do so.

The two mages of Gold Knuckle's forces would have helped their leader, if they didn't have their own problems to deal with, specifically keeping Masaru, Samantha, Saiduq and that white haired girl from reaching them. The two were powerful, easily calling down numerous bursts of energy to keep their enemies back. In fact, Masaru and the white haired girl would have been knocked out already, if not for Gin summoning a barrier of ice above them to deflect one of the blasts and Mao's healer curing any wounds they suffered. Samantha was the biggest threat, moving at incredible speed. He was about to use his strongest spell to knock her back, when a fireball soared past his head. Gin's pink haired friend had thrown it and continued to do so to keep him from succeeding at his spell. Finally the Nekomata reached him and was almost disappointed when a single kick knocked him out.

Agnus had finally made progress with his own target, stabbing her in the leg, then punching her off the ledge, straight into the path of Mao's fighter, who slammed her into the ground with his axe. At the same time, Juro shot the enemy archer in the forehead, disorienting her long enough for the Magic Knight to slam a ball of ice into her. Both men nodded at the ones who helped them and the four went to help their allies.

It was a similar situation with Mei who, thanks to the very distracting fireballs being thrown at her opponent by the red clad mage, was able to get close enough to her, to cut clean through her gut and then knocking her out with a placed knee to the wound. Kirijo was also thankful for the help of the martial artist of Mao's team for jump kicking one of his enemies, letting him focus on the other. Between them, the two fell, leaving most of the Senior forces defeated.

The spear duel also quickly came to a halt when the second pink clad girl snuck up behind her allies target and punched her in the base of her spine. A resounding crack was heard, followed by the sound of a spear being thrust through someone's chest. Dai's battle also ended when Saiduq cheerfully kicked the shirtless man in the head, leaving him open to Dai cleaving through him with both his axe and sword at once.

Thanks to Gin's cover Masaru and the white haired girl had reached the last remaining mage, who was looking quite scared at the prospect of fighting both of them. In desperation, he summoned one last spell and aimed it straight at Masaru. It would have worked if Masaru hadn't thrown his sword into the air at that moment, deflecting the blast. He then drew his second sword before jumping into the air and catching the first and stabbing both into the young mage. Without wasting a second, he began pulling the swords out of his enemy's chest, only to stab them back in again as fast as he could. His attacks were fast enough that he was able to keep himself in the air purely through the amount of force he was applying with each stab. Finally he pulled both swords out and slammed them down into his targets chest, twisted them around, and then slashed upwards, forming an X shaped cut in the now unconscious wizard's body.

With nothing left to do where she was, the white haired girl jumped down to the ground, landing on the head of the last spear wielder, making her dizzy enough for Aki, who had been waiting for an opening to punch her clean in the ribs, easily shattering them and causing her to collapse from the pain. Now, with the exception of the cat, Gold Knuckle was alone and facing down on almost all of both teams, the only exceptions being Samantha and Masaru, who were staying near the blocks the mages had been guarding.

"I admit, you did pretty well to take out Gold Knuckle's buddies. You even made me bleed, not bad. But I'm afraid all your lives end here." As he said this, he leapt into the air, surprisingly high for a man in heavy armour. The cat did the same and the two met in the air. Then there was a bright light and all below heard a mighty yell from the armoured man. "Magichange!"

They barely had any time to notice what happened before Gold Knuckle slammed back into the ground, creating a huge crater and blasting them all back onto the mishmash of blue and green. Shinji recovered first and looked up. He would have laughed if he wasn't in so much pain.

Because standing there, wearing a glove that looked like a cat's paw, was Gold Knuckle. It contrasted so heavily with the rest of his outfit and just looked all around silly. Nevertheless, he had just sent almost all of them back about five feet with a single punch, so now wasn't the time to question the man's taste in fashion.

By the time, Shinji had gotten over it, Mao had also gotten to his feet and looked extremely annoyed. "You wanna play it that way!? Fine!"

Without hesitating Mao grabbed the slime monster that had been with him earlier and threw it into the air. He followed it and after the same bright light and the same yell that his enemy had released, Mao landed with a sword that looked like it was made out of solidified slime. It looked useless but, once again, Shinji reminded himself that judging by appearances would get him killed. Mao would have tried rushing Gold Knuckle again, if the man in question didn't jump across to meet him. The two were more than willing to continue their fight from earlier though, with Mao, swinging his sword, which was now behaving like it had been mixed with a whip, while Gold Knuckle dodged and locked the various attacks. It was clear that Mao's new sword was helping, as now various chips were forming in his enemies armour. Still, he was injured from that last attack and was getting tired. It wouldn't be long before he made a mistake and cost himself the fight.

And as much as Shinji didn't like Mao, he'd rather have him win than the Senior. He was about to help when he heard a voice next to him. "You want to help him cook this tricky dish? I think I know what to do, Boom!"

Before Shinji could ask, Champloo pointed to the ground. "These are Geo Panels, they radiate energy from those blocks, sometimes doing good, sometimes bad, depending on those blocks your friends are near. In this case the green ones make you stronger and the blue ones make you more vulnerable. See where I'm going with this?"

A smile, made its way onto Shinji's lips and he glanced to his left, where Aki had landed. "Wanna end this?"

"Do ya have to ask?"

All three men nodded at each other before Aki darted forward. Currently, Gold Knuckle was on a green panel and Mao was on a blue one, explaining the difficulty he was having. Three quick and powerful punches from Aki fixed that, forcing the Senior on to a blue panel.

And that was the beginning of the end for Gold Knuckle.

First, Champloo, fast as lightning, punched him in the chest at least twenty times before leaping into the air and performing a kick so powerful, that it created a small explosion. Then with Gold Knuckle already reeling from the attack, Mao ordered the blade of his sword to wrap around his arm as he charged up some kind of green energy into at the same time that Shinji summoned Castor. With incredible force, Mao punched the Senior straight up, right into Castor's path, leading to him being mauled by the horse riding Persona. Then, when Castor was done, he knocked gold Knuckle back down where Mao punched him again and released all the energy he had gathered in a powerful green explosion.

And, after all the effort and pain they had gone through, Gold Knuckle collapse, exhausted.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief at the prospect that they had won. They were NOT happy that Gold Knuckle decided to keep talking. "… Heh, hehehe. Don't be too proud just because you beat the Beheading Master. There's a tone of Seniors who are even better than the Knuck. If they ever decide to appear you're just a twist of an arm. Remember that Jabronis!"

Before anyone could do anything, the floor opened beneath him and sealed itself before anyone could follow him. Mao seemed unconcerned by this. "What a cheesy last line… That shows what a piece of trash he is."

The swordsman cut in at this, looking far more worried than his boss. "B-but if trash can get that strong, should we expect a crazy rumble to unfold in the near future…?"

While it wasn't how Shinji would have described it, he did agree with what the blue haired man said. "He's right. If one of them could be that strong and still not be best, we're in for a lot of trouble."

"And who are you?" Mao asked simply and honestly. The blue haired man looked exasperated at this.

"You didn't even notice them!?"

"I don't have time to focus on every little detail! I thought you'd have learned that by now Almaz."

"They're a group we fought when you were going for the title of Class leader." Mao didn't show any sign of remembering. "One of them summoned some weird creature that blasted you back before disappearing."

That refreshed his memory, and reminded him that Shinji had done the same just now. "Oh ho ho? So he's the one who did that? Finally! Now I can dissect him to learn how he did it!"

"_What is it with Demons and wanting to dissect me!?"_ Shinji thought to himself. "Look! Now's not the time for that! We've got a group of highly dangerous people hypnotising everyone here! We have to deal with 'em!"

Shinji was very thankful that Champloo decided to contribute to the conversation now. "Rest assured… Now that I'm here, they are but fish on a cutting board."

There was a brief silence before Shinji explained what Champloo meant. "He mean we'll cut 'em up easily."

The swordsman, Almaz, shrugged at this. "Whatever you say, but I do feel assured."

"I've been watching the strange behaviour on campus, but didn't expect a Senior to be the hidden spice…"

The pink haired girl decided that now was an important time to ask thhe teacher a question. "Do you think the hypnosis can be undone?"

"Indeed it can. It will melt away like chocolate in your hands."

"And how do we pull that off !?"

"With a hot, spirited heart! Only a passionate heart of fire can move the cold hearts of the students!"

"A hot heart!?" Mao questioned, clearly not understanding the statement.

The white haired girl though seemed to get completely the wrong idea about it though. "Hmm, so Demons have varying temperature hearts, too?"

The only answer she received was a gaze from Masaru which practically screamed _"No, you moron."_

Champloo seemed to completely ignore the question though and continued his point. "But with your undercooked hearts, you're liable to give them all food poisoning! Boom! Find the answer to this on your own! Let's see you defrost their hearts better than any microwave can do!"

"Why don't you just give us the answer and speed things up?" Shinji asked, only to be ignored.

"So we're to melt away our classmates' frozen hearts with our heated ones? Heh, I'm starting to feel the heat!" The pink haired girl said cheerfully.

"I'm not sure if we'll be able to do it ourselves, but we can't just leave them like this." Almaz stated in agreement.

"Oh, if we burn up our hearts. Sir Mao's heart may open up as well." And just like that, the white haired girl had made Shinji completely lose track of what anyone meant. His allies semmed to react in surprise to this though.

"Did you say his heart might open!?"

"That's impossible!"

"I think I'm gonna be sick…"

They calmed down when Mao himself decided to re-enter the conversation. ".. That's dumb. It'll never work. Let's just leave them like that. I'm too busy clearing out those vicious broods who are trying to defeat the Overlord."

No one in Shinji's team spoke. They'd seen how Mao fought and they didn't want to have to fight him yet. They were glad that everyone started filing out of the room and, seeing no better chance of continuing their mission, they all followed and hoped that Mao didn't kill them.

* * *

No one noticed that Champloo had stayed in the room longer than everyone else, or that he was approached by two men, one dressed in a black sweatshirt along with black pants, gloves and various belts. He also wore a black longcoat with silver, cross haped stitching along the arms and chains dangling from the collar. Finally he wore a pair of steel toed boots and had a katana strapped to his waist. Half his face was covered by his hair, which was the same shade of black as the rest of his outfit, leaving only one, lavender coloured eye visible.

The other was the same white haired, cloak wearing man that he had met before. Both of them bowed slightly before the man in white began speaking. "I take it you panned this?"

Champloo smiled at the younger man. "Of course! If you want the dish to turn out right, you've got to mix all the ingredients together eventually!"

The man in black then cut in. "But are we sure they can do what we need them to?"

"Have I ever led you wrong Terre?"

"…"

"That's what I thought."

"I just think that that boy you're using is sloppy. He relies too much on pure strength."

"And sometimes that's what's needed. Anyway, you both have jobs to do. Ruroni, go check on how far our enemies plans are advancing. Terre, head for the Sophomore classrooms and assess the situation, I get the feeling that's where we'll be headed next."

At this, both men bowed again and with a quick "Yes Boss." Vanished as if they were never there.

With his conversation done, Champloo went to catch up with his new team, determined to see his mission through to the end.

* * *

**Well, this took longer than I thought I would… (Copying the dialogue straight out of the cutscenes is a pain)**

**Anyway, Terre is another of Mirai666's characters, expect to see more of him in the near future.**

… **Not really much else to say, so, see ya next time.**


	27. Chapter 26 The Black Demon Hunter

**Chapter 26 – The Black Demon Hunter**

* * *

No one was sure why they had followed Mao, only that they had and he hadn't killed them yet. They had been talking about what happened in the Audio-Visual room which Shinji mostly tuned out since he had already put up with listening to Gold Knuckle's glorified bedtime story today, he didn't have to waste his time listening to people talking about it as well.

He eventually started listening again when the pink haired girl, who he had learned was the Gin's friend Beryl, said, "… But to believe that other legendary Seniors are out there, up to some strange conspiracy…"

"'Defeat the Overlord'. We must prevent them from doing this. And the easiest way to stop them…" Mao began, thankfully missing the nervous looks spreading through some of the people in the room. The white haired girl, who had introduced herself as Princess Sapphire, though where she was princess of was no here Shinji had heard of, continued where he left off.

"Is to beat down the Senior Class Leader. First to strike, first to win. A surprise attack would be best." Shinji got the feeling he was going to like Sapphire. She clearly knew what it would take to win quickly. Mao also seemed to agree with her.

"You understand things pretty well for a Human. But the problem is finding the location of the Senior classrooms."

"You can't find them. It's impossible." At this statement, all eyes were on Gin who had looked very serious ever since the last fight. "The Seniors upgraded their classrooms into makeshift warships a long time ago. They never stay in one place for long and they always pick hard to find areas when they need to stay still for extended periods."

"How do you know so much?"

"A lot of research, luck and being in the right place at the right time." The way he said that was strange, as if it was both a lie and the truth at the same time. Shinji got the feeling that he was hiding something and Beryl's concerned expression just enforced this belief. However, so far Gin had proved trustworthy and loyal to his friends. Shinji would trust him, for now.

"Tch, well if they can't be found, how do we find them!?" Mao yelled, his desire to defeat his enemies mixing with his anger over Gin's statement. The trenchcoat wearing Demon, Cross was somehow able to make Mao relax a little with a simple, barely audible, 'Calm down' and the conversation continued.

"What about Geoffrey? I'm sure he has to know something." From most people's perspective, it would seem like Beryl only asked that to get attention away from Gin, who was now trying to blend into the shadows of the room they were in. Thankfully for the two of them, it seemed to distract Mao, whose expression morphed into one of caution.

"Geoffrey, yeah… Well, I'm not sure."

"… Is something wrong, Mao?" Almaz asked his master, clearly concerned for the white haired Demon. Shinji hadn't known Almaz very long but he already knew that, for whatever reason, he was very loyal to Mao. Why exactly was a mystery, but it wasn't his place to judge the swordsman.

"Well. Nothing good's come from listening to him lately." If it had only been a few day ago, Shinji would have been surprised if a well-dressed elderly man suddenly appeared in the room in front of Mao. But all the crap he'd been through recently had pretty much killed his ability to be surprised by anything.

"Hmhmhm. Such harsh criticism, Young Master." The fact that the Demon, who Shinji both recognised from his first day in the Netherworld, but also assumed was Geoffrey, said that in an amused tone made Shinji immediately mistrustful of him. He gave off the impression of a man who would smile at you when you were dying, a smile you couldn't see through his impossibly curled beard. The fact that his glasses prevented you from seeing his eyes didn't help Shinji feel that this guy was his ally.

"… Hmph. So Geoffrey, can you find the Senior classrooms?"

"The Senior classrooms you say? I've begun the search, but they have yet to be discovered."

"Psh… useless. Forget it. I'll gather the information myself."

"Mao, you don't have to talk to him like that…" Almaz whispered to him, though most people heard him say it anyway.

"Shut up. Servants should shut up and obey me." He said it like it was a fact, as if everything was simply forced to obey that rule. The sadness on Almaz's face was obvious to everyone except Mao himself, whose attention was now drifting to where Shinji and his allies were sitting. "Come to think of it, I don't remember inviting you guys into my room."

"We've been here the entire time and you only bring that up now?" An annoyed Agnus responded. One of the girls in Mao's group, whose name none of them had gotten yet, moved over and tried to calm him down before he started yelling. Kirijo thought it was best that he take over, as he was till calm enough to speak rationally.

"What our ally means is that we have the same goal as you, to defeat the ones responsible for this, so we are willing to offer our services to you until this threat is dealt with."

"Tch, I don't need YOUR help! Get lost!" His temper was rising again. How anyone could get through a conversation with this guy and still want to help him was a mystery. Thankfully though, the scarf wearing swordsman clearly had more of a logical mind than his friend.

"But, Mao, If they help us we can get to those responsible much faster, then you can get back to your goal of beating the Overlord and never have to see them again." Mao thought on Almaz's words before letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Fine. They can follow us for now. But as soon as we're done with the Seniors they can scram!" And with that he left. Several people let out a sigh of relief that no one had gotten into any fights overt the course of the conversation. Eventually everyone started filing out as well, each with their own ideas on how to get to the enemy base.

Eventually only Gin and Beryl were still there.

"Gin… I know this won't be easy for you…"

"It's fine Beryl. My past won't be a problem, I promise."

Beryl didn't believe him, it was impossible to believe someone whose smile was obviously fake, and whose voice was filled with concern. Nonetheless she nodded to him and the two left, hoping that they could get through this without the others asking more questions.

* * *

While searching for info on their enemies, Shinji made sure to find Almaz, who was currently trying to talk to a hypnotised Shaman. "Hey."

Almaz turned and gave him a weak smile. "Hey, what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to know why you stuck up for us back there."

It took a moment for the meaning of Shinji's words to sink in. "Oh, that. I just figured that, you wanted to help and we'd be facing some tough enemies. I didn't think it'd be smart to turn down free help like that."

"Hmph, well whatever your reason, thanks for sticking up for us. We have a common enemy. That Mao kid shouldn't be turning down free help."

Almaz sighed, as if he had had this conversation a thousand times in the last week. "Yeah, but he can be a little stubborn… Hopefully he'll see how useful you'll be soon."

"Why do you even work for that guy?"

The look of exasperation faded from Almaz's face, replaced by one of sadness. "Since I arrived here, I saw inside his heart. Theirs a trauma in there relating to his father in some way. His entire life is based around that one trauma. I want to help him overcome it and to do that, he has to defeat the Overlord himself. I think that's why he's so angry right now, the Seniors are threatening his chance to resolve whatever issue he has."

Shinji listened to all this and felt his own sadness grow. If he defeated the Overlord, the gate to Earth would open but was it worth taking away someone else's chance to fix a wound as deep as the one Mao bore? And if it wasn't, what would he do? Hope that the gate will open after Mao defeats his father? No, that was too risky. He had to be there to make sure that it happened.

Thinking about it, there was nothing stopping him from following Mao for a little while. If he was with Mao when the Demon won his battle, then he could ensure his own mission was a success. Plus, he'd seen how strong Mao's team was and figured that working with them would double their chances of victory. He still wasn't sure about the white haired Demon, but after hearing what Almaz said, he decided to trust him. For now at least.

"Hmph, in that case, I'd like to see him put his past behind him. I'll stick around till then."

"What if he tells you to leave?"

"If he wants me gone, he'll prove it with his blade. Till then, I'm not goin' anywhere."

Ever since he'd re-joined SEES, Shinji had gained an appreciation for genuine, kind smiles. He'd seen so many people try to hide their true emotions and fears behind fake ones that a true smile seemed like the rarest thing in the world. Almaz's was no exception. The fact that this man could seem so happy that someone wanted to help his friend, honestly made Shinji a little more hopeful. Maybe one day his allies would do the same when someone offered to help him.

"Thank you. I look forward to working with you." The swordsman extended his hand as he said this, stopping halfway between himself and the taller man. About a month ago, Shinji would have refused it, not wanting to get close to people so they wouldn't feel pain when he died. Then again, he was already sorta dead and he'd learned that if he wanted to survive, he needed more allies. And he could think of worse ones to have than this guy. So, extending his own hand, he clasped Almaz's in his own and gave it a firm shake.

"I should get back to investigating, don't want Mao to wait too long, right?"

"Yeah. Let's do our best."

Turning away to find someone who could help them, Shinji couldn't help but feel that he'd just made a friend. It was something he wasn't used to, but it gave him a feeling that he hoped he could feel again someday.

* * *

Kirijo had been wandering around for what felt like hours. He'd asked what felt like hundreds of people and not one of them had given him anything useful about the Seniors. Part of him wondered if this was some sort of punishment for something he did in life. Then he realised there were far too many cute girls for it to be a punishment. Regardless, he was starting to think that he should just meet up with the others and see if they knew anything.

Then he heard something behind him, "Psst! Over here!"

Turning, he saw the face of the girl who Masaru had spoken to not so long ago. She was looking around nervously from behind a corner, signalling him to come over quickly. Deciding that this was his best lead, he did so.

"The gate to the Sophomore classrooms is open. Someone is invading them. Thought you could use this. Going back underground now." As soon as she said this she darted away and vanished from sight before his brain could even comprehend that she had moved. He couldn't blame her for being nervous, after all he'd be the same if someone was going through his world hypnotising people. He still hoped she could have told him more but frankly he was just happy that know he had something to tell the others.

* * *

When the group met up to exchange information, Kirijo made sure to tell the others what he had learned, which was a good thing since he was the only one who'd learned anything even remotely useful. As soon as he finished, Gin started to talk. "It's bound to be the Seniors attacking, no other force in the Academy has the resources to try to invade Sophomore territory. If we want to find them, this is our best chance."

Since he had brought the information to the group, Kirijo felt obligated to ask the important questions. "What if their base has already left when we get there?"

"The Seniors are very militaristic, anything useful to them is worth fighting to the death for. That includes certain soldiers. If we can capture one of these soldiers we might be able to lure them to us. Though that should be our backup plan."

No one argued with that and, after checking they were all ready, set out for the dimension Gate.

* * *

The Sophomore classrooms were interesting to say the least. They seemed to be a more outdoor area with traditional Japanese buildings and decorations. Various flags and spikes had been added to the area, no doubt because of the enemies invading them. The pools of blood forming their own small streams were extremely alarming and proved that this wasn't like any battle they'd ever fought before. Scattered around the battlefield were groups of Ninjas and Samurai, none of them looking too friendly.

"There's so many of them!" Almaz yelled in fright and surprise. Mao had a much different reaction to his ally.

"A war of Sophomores vs. Seniors? Muhahaha, what a show! They look like trash!" Most of the people there would have yelled at him for taking such enjoyment from this, but someone else beat them to it.

"You stupidly allowed your subordinates to be hypnotized, and now you simply watch. How do you do it?" Looking up to the highest point of the battlefield, everyone saw an elegant looking man in a fancy golden yellow suit complete with a white cravat and what appeared to be a white cape at first glance but on closer inspection was found to actually be a pair of wings. No one knew who this was but one thing was clear, he was looking down on Mao both figuratively and literally.

"What!? Did you just call me stupid!?"

"You don't protect what you must. You don't do what you must. Who, other than you, can I call a stupid leader?" Even if they wanted to, no one had any way of arguing with that.

"Grr…! Those aren't even my subordinates! And what about this guy!?" Mao pointed at Shinji as he said that. "He came to me knowing he can't handle being leader!"

"The Hell did you just say!?"

Ignoring Shinji's outburst, the elegant man continued. "Fool. You have no right to lead anyone. Blind to weakness, irresponsible… The Overlord's son? Tsk, tsk. And if that man is such a poor leader, how have none of his subordinates fallen to the hypnosis?"

"How dare you speak to me like that!? Who are you, anyway!?"

"Why, my name is-" Before he could finish, a warrior jumped up next to him and gave a quick salute.

"Master Big Star, the battle is over! Our army is victorious! Please Master, if you would come to the battlefield!"

"_This guy's gotta have a pretty ego to have his men call him that!"_

"Very well. All Sophomores are to head to the main battlefield."

"But Master Big Star, there are still remnants of the enemy forces on that field."

Turning back to Mao, Big Star pointed down to him "The Overlord's son… I shall leave this place to you. I hope you can show me a little potential for becoming the next Overlord. Hmhmhm."

And with that, the two Sophomores turned and left, leaving only a small group of Seniors for the group to fight.

"…Such haughtiness! Who does he think he is?" Clearly the Sophomore had gotten under Mao's skin and he was very annoyed. This was not helped by his own allies stepping in, starting with Almaz.

"Master Big Star, of course. He's like, amazing in many ways."

"Master Big Star is the Sophomore Class Leader. It's my first time seeing him, but he lives up to his reputation." Beryls' speech had perfect timing, since Shinji and Kirijo really wanted to know who this guy was..

"Indeed. He has quite the calibre for being a leader, unlike Sir Mao." Clearly Sapphire didn't hold back with her comments.

"Exactly! Master Big Star's power is what kept the Sophomores from getting caught by the Seniors' hypnosis attacks." Champloo explained, making it perfectly clear that this Big Star guy was much stronger than Mao. But if everyone was referring to him as that, even when they didn't work for him, did that mean… No. It couldn't be. There was no way anyone would name their child Master Big Star. Right…? "Like a fruit in season, the taste of his heart is strong!"

"Hmph! Enough of your lecturing! You guys are too cocky for being my servants!" Mao yelled, finally tired of them comparing him to his rival leader. "A leader just has to be strong! No matter who your opponent is, hero or not, just don't lose!"

Before the conversation could continue, Cross tapped his boss on the shoulder. "No disrespect Lord Mao, but perhaps we should focus on the Seniors. After all, if a leader needs to be strong, perhaps defeating these Seniors will prove how capable a leader you are."

"…Heh. You've got a point there. Alright! I'll prove to you all that I'm a better Leader than that Master Big Star chump!"

No one needed any more incentive to start fighting. In fact Samantha and Saiduq had already jumped across a small gap and were climbing up a ledge towards three female ninjas armed with bows. They would have been shot had it not been for Juro and Gin laying down cover fire for them and Mei attempting to skewer one of them with her spear, forcing her to move around and not get the chance to fire. While all that was happening, everyone else filed down a small path towards the remaining enemies, glad that they didn't have to deal with arrows as they did.

Waiting for the small group was a group of three Ronin, each brandishing their swords at them. Agnus was the first to attack the small group, almost impaling one of them with his spear before his target blocked him. Dai was next, locking swords with one while trying to get a clear shot with his axe. That left the pink clad spear wielder from Mao's group to deal with the last one, providing enough distraction for Aki and Masaru to slip past.

Since the rest of the team was being held back by a Geo panel force field, the two of them knew they had to find the block responsible for it and destroy it. The only thing in there way was another pair of Ronin, who would clearly charge them the moment they made a move for the block.

"Let me show you what a true Samurai can do." Masaru stated, not as a boast of his own skill, but as a fact. There was no doubt that he would win in his mind. Aki could tell though that he wasn't speaking to his enemies. Instead he was telling him a message. _"I'll handle these guys. You deal with the block."_

Just as expected, when Aki moved towards their target, both the Ronin attacked. True to his word, Masaru moved forward to show them what he was capable of. He immediately proved faster than them by managing to slice through one of the twos kneecap, sending him tumbling to the ground, before raising his sword to block the others attack. While he did all that, Aki slammed his fists into the Geo Block, causing it to shatter into a thousand pieces.

With the block gone, the rest of the team could now get past the barrier of Geo panles and join their allies on the other side. Most of them ran straight up the stairs to deal with the remaining enemies,, though Kirijo and Champloo broke off to help Aki and Masaru. A shot to the back of the head knocked out the enemy Ronin, leaving Masaru's sword free to stab his downed enemy in the gut. With both of them dealt with, Aki and Champloo rushed further down the path, having noticed a second Geo Block earlier. Sure enough, there was one sitting there, infusing its effect to the stairs and the area above.

Speaking of the area above, Champloo noticed that there were at least five ninjas waiting to ambush the team when they got to the top of the stairs. Quietly signalling to Aki, he clasped his hands together and put his back to the wall. Remembering this from his training, Aki jumped and planted his foot on Champloo's hands. The instant he did, Champloo pushed him up, high enough to land on the wall next to the Ninjas who were easily caught off guard by the sudden entrance. It didn't help that they had arranged themselves in the perfect way for him to try out his new attack. Charging energy into his hand, he thrust his palm forward, releasing all the energy in what appeared to be a flaming twister. It didn't go very far, only hitting the three directly in front of him, but it was still too much for any of them to handle. Aki prepared to use the attack again to deal with the remaining two, only to feel two arrows pierce the left side of his chest. How he missed those archers was beyond him, but they had interrupted his attack, giving the other two the perfect chance to respond with a flurry of rapid stabs, far too fast for him to dodge or block. Soon he could take no more and feel from the wall, barley conscious.

Despite the injuries suffered by Aki, his attack had sealed the remaining Ninjas fate. Now that they had attacked, everyone had seen them, including the very accurate Cross. Once again charging his guns with energy he fired an exploding bullet at each of the enemies' heads. Ordinarily, the attack would have badly injured them, but since they were on a thin ledge, it also knocked them to the ground, both landing head first. The archers would have retaliated against Cross had it not been for the fireball slamming into them, incinerating their bows. Quickly after Beryl's attack, the healer of Mao's group fired her own bow at one of them, striking her right in the heart.

While all this had been going on, Champloo had picked up the Geo block and threw it straight at the second archer, knocking her out from the sudden impact. And since the block was gone, its effect vanished from the panels, making the nigh impossible to hit enemies much more vulnerable. This was proven when Saiduq finally managed to land a hit on his enemy, who had spent the last few minutes easily dodging every attack he threw at her. The sudden impact threw her onto one of the many spikes littered around the battlefield, not impaling her, but going straight into her back and rendering her immobile.

Having seen Saiduq's success, Samantha felt her own chances had increased and, before either of them could stop her, grabbed both the remaining archers head and began slamming them together. She only stopped when both of them went limp in her hands, the pain finally proving too much for them.

The group on the stairs meanwhile had split into two smaller groups. The first consisted of Sapphire, the pink clad Ninja girl and Mao's warrior, who had stayed behind to fight a group of female Samurai, each taking one of them. Scarily, Sapphire proved more effective than either of the others, easily forcing her opponent back with savage swings of her axe. The other group had gone to confront the two remaining archers and the enemy leader. Almaz and the Magic Knight immediately leaped at the two archers, forcing them to focus entirely on them. Despite facing enemies with close range weapons, the two were doing a good job of keeping them at bay, using arrows like daggers and dodging their enemies' attempts to separate their limbs from their torsos.

That left Shinji, Mao, Mao's mage and his martial artist to deal with the leader. The fist-fighting man was the first to reach the Samurai at the top of his small tower. He didn't even get a chance to attack before he felt an X shaped cut appear on his chest, followed by a swift kick, sending him flying into the mage, knocking them both out. Even when both Shinji and Mao leaped at him, the Samurai was able to block both their attacks with a single swing of his sword. Even though they surrounded him, he still held an air of confidence about himself, as if their efforts meant less than nothing to him.

On the ground, Agnus was getting tired of the Ronin reputedly blocking his attacks and decided that his spear wasn't quite the tool for this job. So he threw the weapon into the air and slammed both his fists into the ground. A pillar of fire soon erupted at the feet of his opponent, leaving him free to help the girl from Mao's group. The Ronin couldn't b lock two different spears and he was soon full of painful looking holes. Dai meanwhile had managed to force the Senior's blade from his hands before slicing through his gut with both his weapons. With that done, the swordsman collapsed to the ground next to his allies.

Sapphire had also introduced her axe to her opponents flesh in the most painful way possible, while the Ninja punched clean through her enemy's sword and straight into her face. The last one soon found her face being grabbed by a quite angry warrior, who soon found herself flipped over his shoulder and slamming back first into one of the steps. The axe slamming into her lungs provided the final blow for her and meant yet another group of Seniors had been dealt with.

Now there were only three left and while Almaz and the magic knight were now gaining ground, Shinji and Mao were not. Their enemy was very skilled, somehow able to block both their attacks easily, even though they were both on opposite sides of him. Finally deciding enough was enough, Mao tried a charging attack straight at his foe. Naturally this didn't work, as the target just stepped to the side, easily dodging the attack. Knowing that this wasn't getting him anywhere, Shinji decided that it was time to bring out Castor and hopefully end this quickly.

When Castor appeared, it immediately attacked its master's target, slamming straight into the smaller being. In fairness to the Samurai, he did manage to block the attack and actually held it back for a few seconds. But unfortunately for him, his sword was not as strong as he was and snapped in two. As soon as that happened, all the force of the Persona's attack slammed him to the ground. He didn't get back up.

Quickly looking around, Shinji saw that all the Seniors had been defeated, the two archers bellow suffering stab wounds while distracted by his Persona. Letting out a sigh of relief, he dismissed Castor and got ready to move on.

"Look out!" Someone yelled to him. Turning he saw that while his back was turned, the Samurai had somehow risen to his feet and was preparing to stab him with his broken sword. He didn't have enough time to block or dodge and the blade was aimed straight at his heart. He couldn't stop it in time.

Luckily, he didn't have to.

For just before the blade could reach him, there was a bright flash and suddenly many lines appeared along the man's body. They covered every part of him from his face to his feet. Then a second flash appeared and in an instant, all the lines spewed blood and the man's body began to fall into a hundred pieces.

Standing there, with his black katana covered in his victims blood was a man dressed all in black with his hair covering half his face. His lavender eye glared at Shinji, as if his existence offended him.

"You must be pathetic to have not seen that attack coming." He said as he sheathed his sword. "Don't think I'll save you next time."

"Who the Hell are you?" Shinji couldn't help but ask. The man let out an annoyed grunt and turned away from him.

"None of your business. I'm outta here."

"The Hell you are! Why did you kill that guy!? We wanted him alive!"

"And why is that? Because you legitimately wanted him to live, or because you didn't have the guts to kill him?" The man's calm, yet razor sharp tone of voice never wavered and easily got under Shinji's skin.

"What!?"

"I've seen you fight. You never even try to finish your enemies. You always let them live. Are you afraid to get their blood on your hands, even when they wouldn't show you the same mercy?"

"I'm not afraid!"

"Yes, you are! You may act tough but you're just a child who doesn't know what needs to be done to achieve his goals! So go back to the playground, cause you're not fit to fight here till you learn one very important lesson: kill or be killed!" Whoever this guy was, he was raising points that a lot of Shinji's own allies couldn't help but agree with. They weren't afraid to kill, but the only time they'd ever seen him even try to kill someone, it was when Ikutsuki made him so angry he could barely control himself.

"Let's say you're right, that doesn't change the fact you killed someone we needed alive! The longer it takes for us to capture a powerful Senior, the less time I have to get home! There are people I need to protect and anyone who gets in the way is my enemy!"

"Ha! Protect people? If God was kind enough to give you that chance, you wouldn't even be here! How can you hope to protect people when you can't even protect yourself?"

"I'm still here! I have the chance to make up for my failures! Nothing you say can change that!"

"Tch, you're so naïve! You think you're the first person who believes they can make up for their failures? For their sins? Everyone thinks that! And just like them, someday you're gonna realise that your chance faded a long time ago!"

The two's argument was becoming increasingly heated. It was only a matter of time before one of them tried to attack the other and no body needed that right now. Sensing the incoming danger, Beryl tried to intervene. "Wait! You two are both fighting for the same cause! Sometimes the truest allies are ones born from mutual enemies! Please, put aside your differences and fight as one!"

The man in black scoffed at this. "You think I honestly care what happens to this place? I don't, the only reason I'm here is because my job makes me be here. If I had a say in the matter, I'd leave you all to rot. Now you pathetic losers have wasted enough of my time."

And before anyone could stop him, he vanished, as if he was never there. Still angry, Shinji looked around, his eye silently asking anyone to tell him who the Hell that guy was. With an uncertain look on his face, Masaru decided to answer him. "I'm not certain but I think he's a man whose existence has been rumoured for a while."

"Just tell me who. He. Is?" Shinji uttered through clenched teeth.

"If I'm right, he's known as the 'Black Demon Hunter'."

* * *

**I gotta be honest with you, I had trouble writing this one. I kept getting stuck when it came to dialogue (thanks to Mirai66 for help with that last conversation) and the fight was a pain to coordinate (Too many people. Though it is appropriate since I hated the fight this scene is based on). Nonetheless I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the rest of the Sophomore vs. Senior war.**


	28. Chapter 27 Clouded Crystal

**Chapter 27 – Clouded Crystal**

* * *

"What can you tell me about him?" Shinji asked Masaru, who was the only one who felt comfortable enough to approach him and cared enough to explain things to him.

"Not much. Till now he's just been a rumour spread around the campus. To be honest I thought people were talking about me since his description and mine were pretty similar. Guess I was wrong." Masaru responded, his voice filled with apathy. Those who were still listening got the feeling he really didn't care and was just answering because he was asked to.

"Then tell me the rumours." He knew he shouldn't suppress his anger, but yelling at his own allies wouldn't help him. Then again, anyone could tell he was annoyed just from his voice, so trying to hide it wasn't really necessary.

"They say he shows up at seemingly random times to kill Demons, but only certain ones. He's probably an assassin of some sort. Or he's settling some grudge. Frankly, I don't know and for once in my life I don't care. He's not our problem"

"And what if he is our problem?"

"Then kill him. You can do that, right?" The way he said that implied he wasn't questioning Shinji, he was challenging him. "After all, someone as determined as you should have no problem getting his hands dirty. Right?"

He understood why Masaru was asking this. Looking around, all the rest of his allies were silently asking him the same thing, '_Could you do it?'_ Thinking about it, he didn't have an answer. He'd tried to kill Ikutsuki but that was a personal fight against someone who endangered people he cared about. Could he do the same for others? Clearly the others wanted to know.

"I… I don't know…" Was the only answer he could give that wouldn't be a complete lie.

Masaru merely shook his head. "Indecision will get you killed. You'd better decide whether or not you're willing to do whatever it takes because I won't follow someone who holds back when he needs to go all out."

Shinji would have said something to try to convince the Ronin that he should keep working with him, if at that moment Champloo didn't walk around the corner carrying a badly bleeding Aki. The moment he saw how injured his best friend was, Masaru immediately rushed over to him, showing the first sign of worry Shinji had ever seen from him. "Aki! Aki, are you ok!?"

"He took quite the slicing. If you don't get him back to safety, this ingredient's going to expire!"

"O-okay. I'll get him out of here." After hearing this, Champloo slung his former pupil onto Masaru's back and the swordsman began carrying him back to the portal. He didn't even look at the others when he left and he was gone before anyone could stop him.

"It's no surprise he's like that." Juro said, having somehow gotten right next to him without being noticed. "Aki once helped him through a tough time in his life. Ever since then, Aki's safety's been one of his top priorities."

"What happened?"

"Don't know. He wouldn't tell us. All we know is something happened and he had a lot of anger to work out. Aki challenged him to a fight and together they worked out his anger. I don't think even Aki knows why he was angry, but he helped him anyway."

Shinji couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not just because he was being told that Masaru, the most emotionless person he'd met in the Netherworld was even capable of anger, but also because the story was so similar. Not only did it sound just like his own fight with Castor but it also reminded him of another moment from his life, one that happened so long ago, back when he still lived at the orphanage. He didn't remember why he was angry that day, but he did remember lashing out against everyone he saw. Then some white haired kid stood up to him. The two fought for who knows how long. But when it was over he wasn't angry anymore and he and the white haired kid were laughing.

And that's how Akihiko Sanada became the closest thing he had to a brother.

Shinji couldn't help but let out a low chuckle at the similarities between the two stories. Maybe it was some sort of sign. Maybe he was meant to meet these two. Either way, he would need an answer to Masaru's question for the next time he saw them. Till then, he'd keep moving.

Speaking of which, it looked like that was what Mao was doing right now. In fact he was leaving at a surprising speed. He could just make out people saying something involving Sapphire and a chainsaw. Part of him wanted to ask about it, but his sanity prevented him from doing so. While he was preparing to leave himself, he noticed that some of Mao's people were being sent back as well due to injuries. The Mage and the Martial artist were carried off by the Warrior and Magic knight , who themselves probably wouldn't be back for a while.

All in all, it hadn't been a great start to the battle and now they were down six people. He could only hope that they had enough people for their next battle.

* * *

It wasn't long before something else happened. The group had been walking for a while now and not seen anything. Almaz seemed bothered by something while Mao was trying to keep his distance from Sapphire for some reason. There was an unmistakable tension in Shinji's group, all of them thinking about the Black Demon Hunter's words. Since everyone was so deep in thought, they were all caught completely off guard when a girl with pinkish white hair dressed in a dark pink Gothic Lolita outfit dropped in front of them. Her arms were covered in bandages and there was no sign of a weapon on her.

Surprised at this, everyone drew their weapons and pointed them at the mysterious girl. At the sight of all these people ready to attack her, she immediately collapsed to her knees and started crying. "Please don't hurt me! I don't want to die!"

Putting their weapons away, Shinji, Kirijo and Almaz approached her. Shinji gently placed his hand on her head. "We're not here to hurt you."

"Y-you're not?" She asked, tears still flowing down her cheeks. Kirijo smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Of course not. I can't imagine why someone would want to hurt such a cute girl." The mystery girl couldn't help but blush and try to hide herself behind Shinji's arm. When this happened, Almaz turned to the others.

"We have to get her to safety, this is no place for her." At hearing this Mao got annoyed.

"If she doesn't belong here, she'd have been smart enough to stay away!"

"But what if she didn't have a chance to? What if she just got caught up in all this and couldn't get away?"

"Then she's weak and shouldn't be in the Academy at all!"

While Mao argued with his allies, Shinji tried to talk to the girl. "They're right, it's dangerous here. There's a portal nearby, if you make it there, you can get to safety."

Instead of moving, the girl grabbed onto his arm even tighter. "No! It's scary alone! Please, don't leave me alone!"

Kirijo shrugged at him and no one else could give him any advice on what to do. Releasing a deep sigh, he stood up, pulling the girl up with him. "Alright. You can stay with us for now. But when we get back, I'm finding a safe place for you, ok?"

The girl wiped her eyes and gave a weak nod. "T-thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up."

Not releasing her hand from his own, Shinji began leading her down the path they were walking. "You got a name?"

"M-my name? Ummm… Ciel. What's yours?"

"Shinjiro."

"Thank you, Shinjiro."

The others followed soon after. For reasons that even she wasn't sure about Mei couldn't help but feel uneasy around this girl. Unfortunately for her, the only one to notice this was Juro. "Jealous that the boss is being so nice to her?"

"Why would I be?"

"Ok, you don't have to say it. But if ya need someone to talk to…" Mei walked off before he could finish, her gaze fixed on Ciel. Was she jealous? Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, she wasn't letting this girl out of her sight till she figured it out.

* * *

After a few more minutes of walking, the group stumbled across a battlefield. Ninjas, Magic Knight and Exorcists stood before them.

"Greetings are the building blocks of manners! Can't do it? Then kill them!" One of them yelled out.

"Don't worry. We'll clean up all the corpses! Please help us by recycling!" Another soon shouted.

Looking to the other side of a small bridge that split the field in half, were a group of Sophomores. They looked to be in a much worse state than the nigh uninjured Senior forces. "Dammit! We're hit! Medic! We got dragged into the dreadful volunteer activities of the Seniors!"

"Who cares about contributing to society?! We don't care to respect our elders! I'll never give up my seat to them!"

The Seniors seemed unfazed by the Sophomores comments. "I find that to donate is to die! We'll make them join a charity drive! Charge into the main Sophomore forces!"

"A blood donation purge against Honour Students! Put your right hand over your heart, and charge!"

From the main Sophomore battlements came a familiar, elegant voice. "The time has come to counterattack! The target is the main Senior forces! The loud greeting and sports squads! Listen! Do not forget I am with you! Believe in me! Trust the evil fiend next to you! Take back your freedom!"

Master Big Star's speech had exactly the intended effect and all his subordinates let out a confident "Yeaaahhhhhh!"

Despite their enemies becoming three times as confident, the Seniors still believed whole heartedly that they would win. "Fools! Easily led into our trap! Seems this is going to be Master Big Star's grave!"

"We just need to get rid of Master Big Star. Then no one can prevent us from reaching our goal to defeat the Overlord!"

While all this had been going on, Shinji and Mao's collective forces had been watching in silence. Almaz was the first to break the silence. "Looks pretty crazy out there."

"_Understatement of the century."_

"Hmm. It seems the Seniors are winning." Sapphire chimed in, also managing to downplay the situation. Despite their morale boost, the Sophomores were hopelessly outclasses and outnumbered.

"Hmph. He said all that stuff about my potential and whatnot, and look what good he can do." Mao said, unconcerned that potential allies were being slaughtered and caring only about his own pride. Honestly, if he weren't helpful and Shinji didn't trust Almaz's word, he probably would have tried to beat the little brat and continue on his own. Thankfully, before he could do that, the Sophomore leader approached them.

"There you are, Overlord's son. Seems you've managed to clean up the remnants. Somewhat useful, I see."

"Even now, you act tough. The way I see it, you're going to lose this war. But if you can bring the Senior's warships here, maybe we'll back you up. Muhahaha! Now, what will it be!?" The smug way he said that managed to annoy over half the people there, but only Big Star spoke.

"Seriously… How inelegant can you be? Your help is but a piece of glass that was dropped on a moonless night… I'm not so foolish as to pick up something so fragile without a plan." He had to admit, the way this guy could still talk so confidently was impressive. Absolutely insane, but impressive.

"What!? You're okay with losing like this!?"

"Even if the chance of winning is 0%, it's a leader's role to make it 100%! I doubt you would understand that!" With that single belief, this Demon had forever earned Shinji's respect. It reminded him of SEES's twin leaders and how neither of them would ever give up, even when defeat seemed inevitable. Just like them, Master Big Star was a true leader and one he would ensure won this war.

Beryl figured that interrupting would be a good idea, lest Mao attack someone who could be of great help to them "Guys! Stop battling with your egos! You're both Class Leaders! If you can cooperate, we can get through this! Yesterday's enemies are today's friends! A true friendship sprouts on the field of battle! At least, I believe so!"

She had amazing faith to believe that would work, especially after it failed last time she tried it. Naturally, it didn't convince Mao. "There's no need for such an eerie thing to sprout anywhere! I do things alone!"

Now that was just stupid. How could someone claim to fight alone but surround himself with enough allies to form a military unit. Regardless Champloo chose that exact moment to interrupt. "Kiiiiiaaaaahhhhh! Two tastes may seem repelling at first sight! However, an unexpected combo can bring out the best tastes at times! If you both have time to argue over excuses, try tasting it first!"

Then something unexpected happened. The ground started shaking and all fighting stopped temporarily as everyone tried to stay on their feet. After a few seconds a spike of pure crystal shot out from the ground, nearly impaling Shinji as it did. The only reason it didn't was because he felt the ground move beneath him and he jumped out of the way, dragging a now screaming Ciel with him.

He didn't have a moment to relax as a second spike emerged, aiming for his side, narrowly missing Ciel as it rose. A quick roll saved his life but he knew that whatever was happening, it wasn't over. More spikes were emerging from the ground, seeming to target everyone in the area. All the fighting had stopped for the moment as everyone was forced to dodge the purple crystals that were rapidly engulfing the battlefield.

He was more than thankful when Saiduq grabbed him and pulled him to his feet, especially when the area he had been resting on just a second ago was now occupied by another of the mysterious crystals. For whatever reason, the crystals seemed to be appearing around Ciel more than anyone else and she was too terrified to move. He'd be damned if he didn't save he so, without a thought for his own safety, he rushed towards her, desperate to protect something with his life. She was surrounded by so many of the crystals that she was practically in a prison made of it. When he finally reached her, the gaps between them were too thin for him to fit through, though her slimmer form might still be able to pull it off. So he extended his arm as far as he could and yelled out to her. "Ciel! Take my hand!"

Shaking, the pink haired girl looked up at him, her fear keeping her from moving. "S-shinjiro-san… P-please…"

Her shaking voice made him try to force his arm even closer to her. But then something happened that made his blood chill.

Ciel's stopped shaking and a sadistic grin spread across her face. "I don't know how to put this but… DIE!"

When she said that, the ground shook again and another spike emerged from behind him... With his arm so far in to the makeshift cage, there was no way he could dodge it. How could he make this mistake? Was he such a fool that he had essentially handed her his life, and then feel surprised when she ripped it to shreds? He felt everything slow down as the spike approached him, it was moving too fast to outrun, even if he moved as fast as he could. And even if he wanted to, Ciel had grabbed onto his arm and was pulling on it, keeping him from moving.

This was it.

There was no way out.

Only death waited for him now.

He couldn't say it wasn't a familiar feeling…

"SHINJI!"

The yell pierced his ears just as something darted in front of him. He realised what was about to happen just before he could do anything about it. "NO!"

The crystal never reached him. Mei's body slowed it down too much. He watched as her blood flowed down to the ground and her arms became limp next to her. His ally had just risked her life to save him. She didn't need to wear Hamuko's face for it to hurt him down to his soul.

Rage consumed him and he pulled on his arm as hard as he could. Ciel was surprisingly strong, but even she was no match for the strength he possessed when he was angry, and he easily slammed her into her own crystals. The sudden impact forced her hands off him and, without missing a beat, he pulled Mei off the crystal and tried to get her somewhere safe.

A wall of crystal stopped him in his tracks. Rapidly turning he saw Ciel had recovered and dismissed the crystals around herself. Now she was advancing on her slowly, her smile never leaving her face. In fact, she seemed happier than ever. "AHAHAHAHAHA! That pain filled expression suits you perfectly! Bet you're upset that you can't claim your "Hero's reward" from me!"

He knew what she meant, but he was too pissed to feel upset, or even embarrassed. Everyone else was cut off from him when the crystal wall appeared. It was just clear enough that he could see the vague shape of Dai trying to break through it with his axe, but it seemed to have no effect. And if that guy couldn't break something, chances were it wouldn't break at all. If he wanted to save Mei, he'd have to get rid of it.

And he could think of only one way to do it.

Resting Mei down as gently as he could, he removed his coat and placed it over her. He felt strange not wearing it, but right now she needed it more. Offering a silent prayer to anyone who would listen, he rose to his feet and grabbed his axe. He had to settle this quickly. To help him do that, he discarded the tattered bulletproof vest to give himself a little extra speed, leaving him in his long sleeved black shirt. He felt vulnerable but he'd seen what the crystals would do and he doubted that thing would do anything but slow him down.

Now there was nothing left to do but charge. His mistake had endangered another's life.

He would make amends for this. Even if it cost him his life.

* * *

**I'm sure that some of you might be thinking that I had Ciel reveal her true nature too soon but it was important to do it now so I can move on with the plot after the next fight scene. Speaking of which, I really hope you're looking forward to next chapter, because I'm going to do all I can to make that fight awesome. Hope to see you then!**

**Ciel is yet another of Mirai666 characters.**


	29. Chapter 28 Face of a Mask

**Chapter 28 – Face of a Mask**

* * *

He wasn't surprised that Ciel tried to impale him with her crystals again. Actually, he'd been hoping she would. It proved that she was focussed on him and wasn't trying to hit Mei. On the other hand, his axe couldn't break them, so he was forced to either dodge or use his axe as a shield to block the blow long enough to outrun it. So far she'd only attacked from the sides, which had made it easier to dodge her spikes, but wasn't what he was hoping for.

No, he was hoping for something much… riskier.

Finally, when he was only a few feet away, she decided that now was the time to end this battle. Focussing, she created a huge crystal spire directly in front of him. If he didn't dodge at the exact right moment, he would be impaled by it and all he had fought for would have been for nothing.

Just before the spike reached his face, he bent back as far as he could, the crystal barely missing his forehead, cutting his hat but missing him by barely a millimetre. But he made no efforts to move afterwards. Instead he did something that Ciel could honestly say she didn't expect. Just as the spire roared past him, he extended his arm and grabbed onto it and she could ony watch as it carried him high into the sky, high enough for everyone to see him.

The moment the crystal stopped he pulled himself up with all his strength and planted his feet on the clean cut surface. And just like he expected, he started to slide down it, the combination of the angle and the fact that he was standing on such a smooth platform causing him to reach incredible speeds in an incredibly short amount of time. Ciel tried to create more spikes to stop him now that he couldn't dodge them, but he was moving so fast he just soared past them.

Just as before, she realised this wasn't working and once again tried to strike him from the front, anticipating that there was no way he could stop himself before he hit it. And she was right, he didn't stop.

He just jumped over it and continued flying at her at incredible speeds. She barely had enough time to summon two crystals over her head to stop him from slamming into her with the sped of a bullet and the force of a bulldozer. Even then, he still struck with enough forces to push the crystals back into the earth and a distinct crater to form where she had once stood.

Ordinarily, that kind of impact would have killed the target. Unfortunately, Ciel was far from normal and she soon forced the crystals off of her, both of them slamming Shinji back as they did. She was bleeding a little, but the psychotic girl still looked ready to fight. And that smile. That damned smile was still on her face, still as creepy as ever.

"That's it! Go all out! It just makes it more fun when I finally kill you!" Her last word was accompanied by her summoning a whip made of hundreds of tiny crystals, some jutting out to form small spikes, and then swinging it with enough fore that it wrapped around Shinji's chest and arms. Since it was so close to his shoulders, it was nigh impossible for him to break free, not helped by the numerous spikes digging into his flesh.

Ciel gave a maniacal laugh as he struggled in vain. "YES! Suffer more! Just watching you suffer gives me such pleasure! Come on! SCREAM FOR ME!"

With a sharp tug, Ciel lifted Shinji over her head and slammed him into the ground with tremendous force. Then, before he could recover, she did it again, this time slamming him into the side of one of the spires she had summoned before immediately changing directions and spinning him around over her head. When she finally got bored of doing that, she finally slammed him down, directly onto a nest of spikes, each of them stabbing into his back, some of them going all the way through his chest. All he could fell was pain flowing throughout his entire body. He wanted to scream, but he refused to give his enemy the satisfaction.

She seemed pleased though, the sight of his blood flowing making her giggle almost in ecstasy. "Ohhhh~! No matter how many times I see it, that's still the most beautiful thing I'll ever see~! I mean, maybe if HE were taking your place it'd be different but… Ahhh~! It's just such a wondrous sight!"

He could only groan in response, to do any more would make her even happier, and he REALLY didn't want that. His hat fell from his head but that was hardly the most pressing matter at the time. Naturally Ciel soon got bored of watching him lie perfectly still on a bed of spikes and turned her attention back to Mei, who was still unconscious. Summoning her whip again, she slowly advanced on the dying Demon, her joy at the prospect of killing her shining brightly.

He had to hurry, his strength was fading fast. There was only one option left. He could just flex his hand enough to feel the glowing card float into it. The moment he did, Castor appeared above him, his form flickering as if he would fade at any moment. Not wasting time, he ordered the Persona to stop Ciel at all costs.

Castor complied with the order and immediately charged at the rose haired girl. Turning around, she was more than happy to attack the being with her whip.

The second it collided with Castor's body, it shattered like glass, the Persona not even slowing down. She wasn't smiling now. She'd never seen anything break her crystals before. Suddenly, genuine fear entered her mind. If she didn't get out of the way, this thing was going to kill her.

Doing the first thing that came to mind, she summoned a giant spire underneath herself, carrying her far above the charging apparition's range of attack. That didn't change the fact that when Castor collided with the pillar, it too shattered, sending the upper half tumbling to the ground. Ciel landed less than gracefully, but managed to avoid serious injury.

The real problem was that Castor had slammed into the wall she had created, cracking it. Another hit and the whole thing would shatter and in her current state she couldn't afford to fight all the people still trying to get through. She had to stop that thing somehow.

Then she noticed Shinji and the mysterious being were emitting the same glow. She highly doubted that was a coincidence. Running at incredible speed, she summoned an extra sharp, sword sized crystal and grabbed it as she darted past. Then, with Castor right on her tail, she lifted it over her head and swung down.

Castor vanished.

And something blood soaked fell to the ground.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH HHHHHH!"

"Heh heh heh~. Even though I missed, I finally made you scream~." The words barely reached him, all he could feel was pain. He didn't want to believe what he knew to be true. With what little strength he had, he looked over to his right arm.

Or rather, where his right arm used to be.

Now, there was just a stump just below his elbow. The pain and shock were unimaginable. The blood flowed like a stream and he could tell that if he didn't stop it soon, missing an arm would be the least of his worries.

The blade-like crystal struck again, this time stabbing straight through his left hand. Ciel simply smiled down at him before leaving the blade there. With his right hand gone, his left hand impaled and his body too weak to summon Castor, there was no way for him to free himself. Ciel knew this as several more sword shaped crystals began floating around her, their tips all pointing at him.

He had to escape, but that was impossible. He had to save Mei, but he couldn't find the strength. He had to make it home, but it seemed too far away. Now it was even too much for him to keep his eyes open. He could feel his mind slowing down as his body leaked blood all over the ground. The last thing he saw was Ciel raising her arm, ready to send her blades straight into his heart. But he could do nothing to stop her.

* * *

"You're seriously giving up?"

That sentence felt like a jolt of electricity going through his mind and he felt his eyes snap wide open. He was surprised to find that he was standing on the very same platform he had stood on when he faced Castor and finally gained control over it. Sure enough, the being in question stood before him, his mask still missing from their battle.

"Weren't you the one who was so determined to never lose? Weren't you the one who did everything he could just to get a shot at making it home? Where'd that bravado go?"

"In case you didn't notice, SHE CUT OFF MY ARM!"

"So? You must have known that there would be consequences to your actions! Did you really think you could wage war throughout an entire world and not suffer for it!?"

"I'm not the one who vanished when shit hit the fan!"

"I only did because you were too weak to sustain me!"

"Do you want my job!? Do you want to be the one who gets the shit beaten out of him every day, just on the slim hope that something good will happen if he endures it!?"

"…And what if I could be?" the statement, mixed with the sudden change in Castor's attitude made Shinji confused. He stared at the Persona, waiting for it to answer him. Castor chose to walk up to him before doing so. "You hold me before your face, but a mask is meant to be worn. You can hide behind me, but my true strength goes to the ones who becomes me."

"Either give a straight answer or shut up."

"Hmph. You always summon me, like I'm some separate being. But what if instead, you and I became one? My strength, your body." Shinji couldn't help but take a step back when he heard this.

"T-that… That's possible!?"

"Yes, though only to those strong enough to contain A personas power within their own flesh. Despite your injuries, you possess that strength, but only enough to last a few minutes."

"Is it… Safe?"

"You will suffer no consequences from the fusion. However I must warn you, it won't be you calling the shots out there."

His mind was racing. If he accepted Castor's offer, he might just stand a chance. On the other hand, Castor had killed before and there was no guarantee he wouldn't lose his temper again. But what could he do? If he didn't accept, he would die and so would Mei. He HAD to take this chance.

"…Okay. I'll do it."

Castor smiled at this before placing his hands on the Shinji's shoulders. "Repeat after me. I accept the mask to become my face…"

"I accept the mask to become my face…"

"I give my form to the being within…"

"I give my form to the being within…"

"I accept my other self as me! We shall rise together!"

"I accept my other self as me! We shall rise together!"

Light filled the void they stood in. Quickly it engulfed all as Shinji felt something enter his mind and mix with his own.

* * *

In the real world, not a single second had passed. Ciel had her arm raised high over her head and the crystal swords floated around her, eager to strike their prey. After waiting a moment, she finally decided to put him out of his misery, as painfully as possible.

But just as she lowered her arms and the blades travelled forwards, a huge shockwave was emitted from the unconscious warrior, blasting her and her blades back. Looking up, she couldn't believe what she saw. Somehow, Shinjiro was pulling himself off the crystals she had impaled him with and was getting to his feet. Turning around, he stared at her, his eyes now a bright gold. After seeing his target, he stared down at the stump where his arm used to be. After releasing a small chuckle, he began shaking and, with resounding force, a new arm shot out of the wound, this one much more muscular than the previous one. Breathing heavily, he clenched his fist and the rest of his muscles expanded to match his arm. After admiring his new form for a moment, he released a sinister smile as his gaze returned to his enemy.

"Tch. Muscles or not, you can't beat me Shinjiro!" Ciel screamed before sending another spike towards him. He made no effort to dodge it as it got closer and closer. Then, when it was close enough, he swung his arm and punched it head on. It shattered in an instant.

"You're not dealing with Shinjiro anymore." He spoke, just as his hair changed to a pale blond colour and grew to such lengths that it reached his waist. "I. Am. CASTOR!"

He moved so fast she could barely see him move. All her efforts to stop him were in vain, as her attacks couldn't even penetrate his skin. She was just as defenceless when he finally got to her and slammed his fist into her gut with all his strength. The sheer force was enough to send her flying back into her own wall with enough momentum to break it. Everyone watched as she sailed over head before crashing into the Sophomore's battlements.

She barely had a chance to stand before Castor body slammed her, with enough force for the ground to crack. While pain still griped her body, Castor lifted her into the air and began repeatedly reintroducing her back to the fractured floor.

Many had stopped to watch what was happening, the battle with the Seniors having ended a while ago. Some of them were tempted to help defeat Ciel, but fear of what they could only assume was Shinjiro, held them back. They didn't want to risk becoming his target. Only Sapphire and the remaining healer weren't watching the fight. They had instead slipped to the other side of the wall and began healing Mei's wound. The damage to her body was severe and numerous tiny crystal shards were embedded in her. They didn't have the power to heal the wound completely, but they could stabilise her long enough to reach a proper medic.

Castor had finally grown bored of dealing sever damage to Ciel's back and, sensing that his time was short, decided that now was the time to end this battle. Throwing the dazed girl across his shoulders, he pressed down on her head and legs, stretching her back as far and as painfully as he could. When he finally decided she was in enough pain, he leaped into the air, so high and so fast that most of the spectators to the battle could hardly believe their eyes. After reaching what had to have been at least a hundred feet, he finally stopped and began to descend. As he did, he twisted his body so his legs were pointing up and that he would land on his back. Or at least he would have if he didn't still have Ciel stretched across it.

When he landed, the entire battlefield shook and almost everyone was propelled back by the blast. When the dust cleared, a huge crater had formed, stopping just short of the bridge, which had been devastated by the shockwave. In the centre of the crater was Castor, still smiling with an almost sadistic glee, and Ciel, who was lucky that she had survived being crushed between the ground and a gravity propelled man that would make some Demon's feel small in comparison.

"Was that to your liking Shinjiro? I know I had a lot of fun!" He said to his other self, not bothering to get off of Ciel.

"_I think you went a little overboard…"_

"It worked didn't it?" Shinji was about to yell at him for putting the fight before helping Mei, when someone interrupted.

"That was glorious! Such power! Such ferocity! You're perfect!" Castor barely glanced at the new arrival. The one who spoke was a man with golden blonde hair and extremely noticeable blue eyes. He wore a blue sleeveless hoodie over a white t shirt. His read jeans were rolled to halfway up his calves and had a noticeable contrast against his dark green shoes. A pair of white headphones hung around his neck with lightning bolts decorating them. He was smiling with barely contained joy. "I've been looking for someone strong like you! This'll be fun!"

The mystery figure cracked his knuckles before drawing an axe and walking towards Castor, who merely rolled his eyes at this. "So, you're in a hurry to die? OK, I can obl-"

Before he could finish, a sharp pain surged through him. Looking at his arm, he could feel it fading away. His muscles were shrinking and his hair was returning to its normal size and colour. "N-no! I need more time!"

But no matter how hard he fought, his time had run out. If he stayed in Shinji's body any longer, his power would overload it. He had already pushed it to its limit and now it was pushing him out. When he collapsed, Shinjiro was back in control, his hair brown, his body normal and his arm once again missing. The newcomer looked disappointed.

"So, you're just a host body for a stronger being? Then you're as good as trash!" In anger, he raised his axe to kill the unconscious man. The only reason he didn't was that he felt a bullet his him in the shoulder. How Kirijo pulled that shot off from that distance was anyone's guess, but the important fact was that he had gotten the man's attention off of Shinji.

Or at least long enough for Agnus to reach him and begin trying to skewer him with his spear. Dai soon joined in, followed by Saiduq and Samantha. They didn't know how skilled this guy was but there was no way he could dodge and block the attacks of all four of them for long. Eventually, he had reached the centre of the crater, where Ciel's harsh breathing could still be heard.

He knew that he couldn't win against all these enemies, but Ciel had a unique power, one his allies could use. The moment he got the chance, he grabbed the injured girl and somehow managed to jump straight over Dai's head and landed in the same portal he had come out of. It closed before anyone could follow him.

Kirijo rushed to Shinji's side. "Aragaki! Aragaki, answer me!"

Only a pained moan answered him, but that was enough. The important thing was that he was alive. To make things better, Allowing Castor into his body had apparently sealed his wounds, so he wasn't at risk of bleeding to death before they could get him healed. Feeling that he had to get Shinji back to safety, he quickly grabbed the Persona user's one good arm and slung it across his shoulders. Turning to the Demons who were gathered around him, he got the distinct impression that they were waiting for him to say something.

"Someone grab Mei and take her to the infirmary, the rest of you should stay with Mao and help resolve this situation. Agnus, Aragaki told me you'd been a leader in the past. You guide the others for now." Agnus nodded at this and Juro had already run off to get Mei. The others looked like there was something they wanted to say, but couldn't find the right words.

"What… What do we do about… That?" Samantha finally said, while signalling towards where Shinji's right arm used to be.

"If you can retrieve it, do so. Other than that… Just hope that something can be done for him."

No one said a word. Kirijo took that as his cue to leave, as Juro had already done. As he walked, he gazed down at the younger man. He couldn't help but feel that this was his fault. If he had just stopped the experiments, Shinjiro wouldn't even be here. He'd be home, his arm still attached to his body, his hands clean of blood and the girl he loved so much by his side. But thinking about what ifs and blaming himself wasn't what Shinji needed. Right now he needed a doctor and Kirijo would make sure he got to one.

* * *

**I hope you all like this new power I've created for this story and the direction I'm taking it. Also, since he's sort of a different character, here's Castor's character sheet:**

**Castor**

Title: Persona

Weapon types: None

Skills:

_Fatal End_ (Castor jumps into the air and slams onto his enemies) Description: _Too… Heavy… _Range: 1

_Crushing blow_ (Castor lifts his opponents onto his shoulders before jumping into the air and crashing back down on top of them) Description: _He's a fan of wrestling. _Range: 1

_Last Charge_ (Castor transforms into his Persona form and rushes through his enemies) Description:_ This is his true self! _Range: 9 (Triangle formation) (Note: Use of this attack will automatically turn Castor back into Shinjiro)

Description: The result of Shinjiro fusing with his Persona. He loves to fight and is nigh unstoppable. He fights only with his hands as he hates weapons. Because of how powerful he is, Shinjiro's body can only sustain him for a few minutes at a time. He has an irrational fear of spears.

Evility: True Power: Triples all stats, but is replaced by Shinjiro after three turns.

**And here's Ciel's:**

**Ciel**

Title: Cruel Psychopath

Weapons: Monster type

Skills: Debuff skills and Ice and Star spells up to Omega

_Crystalized thorn whip_ (Ciel creates a long and sharp whip made of crystals and starts whipping the enemies mercilessly while laughing maliciously, then she wraps the enemies with her whip and repeatedly bangs them on the ground until finally she sends them high in the air and sending them back to the ground with crystal spikes emerging from the ground, piercing the enemies.) Description: _Is she a dominatrix?_ Range: 6 (6 tiles, inflicts poison)

_Crystal Boundaries of Emptiness_ (Ciel summons several purple crystalline swords and manipulates the swords to stab the enemies, then while the enemies are speared by the swords, Ciel blasts her opponents with a barrage of sharp crystal rocks until there are purple powder dust surrounding them which creates a huge mountain of purple crystals, trapping the enemies inside. Finally the crystals slowing cracks and completely breaks and disintegrate and consumes the surrounding enemies in a black void.) Description: _This shows how cruel she really is!_ Range: 10 (4 targets in a cross, chance of deprave)

Appearance: She has the appearance of a sweet, innocent, serene and cute young girl despite being a demon. She has pinkish white hair that is kept in a girlish twin tail style, which are secured with matching black ribbons with two red roses in the middle of the ribbon. She also has pointy ears and bluish violet eyes that seems to be quite innocent, but can turn to a crazed expression once she drops her facade. She wears a black and dark pink Gothic Lolita short dress that has elegant sleeves with red rose ribbons, black and dark pink frills and white quilling's. Her hands are covered in bandages to give out a 'frail' appearance. She wears red and black roses around her neck. She also wears long black stockings with rose pattern designs and red Mary-Jane-like shoes that buckle over the top of the foot and around the ankle. Despite her aura of innocence and cute looks, there is more to her that meets the eye...

Description: A mysterious girl. At first glance, she appears to be an extremely shy and gentle girl who stands at odds with the place she is held in. In truth, this reserved, innocent and quiet personality is just a ruse that she projects to make those around her feel secure, and to mask her true nature; that of a calculating, merciless, sadistic psychopath who has an extremely twisted personality and has no value for the life and only cares about relieving herself of boredom. She is very sadistic and is willing to kill and sacrifice anything or anyone for her own amusement as well as being exceedingly playfully cruel as she enjoys witnessing others suffering and repeatedly tortures others until she gets bored of them and kills them. She will join anyone who has a sick and deranged that involves killing only for the condition for the person she follows to keep on being interesting and entertaining, until the person outlived their usefulness of being her entertainment that she will get bored and kill them herself. Despite her being twisted, she gets along well with others who are just as deranged and sadistic as her with a sick view on life.

Evility: Crystal Fragments: Increases normal and special attacks' range per enemies on the field, but spell effects are reduced

**Special thanks to KO for his OC (The one at the end).**


	30. Chapter 29 Abandoning the Past

**Before we begin. I'd just like to say sorry that it took longer than usual to get this chapter to you. I've been busy for a while and didn't have much time to work on it. But I'm free now so you shouldn't have to wait so long next time.**

* * *

**Chapter 29 – Abandoning the Past**

* * *

His head hurt like hell. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked around. He knew this place. It was the Moonlight Bridge, one of the most recognisable areas of Tatsumi Port Island. The whole place was bathed in a dark green glow and pools of blood could be seen everywhere.

"_So your minds made up?"_

Turning, he could see Akihiko behind him, his SEES band across his arm. He looked about a year younger than when Shinji last saw him. It must have been another dream.

"_Yeah."_

"_But you have such potential! We need you Shinji!"_

"_I killed someone Aki! IT killed someone! How can I trust it ever again!?"_

"_You're strong Shinji! You can control it!"_

"_What if I can't!? Not everything's about strength! I think you've forgotten that."_

Akihiko didn't answer, he just looked to the ground, a sad anger flowing through him. But the Shinji of the past didn't care, he just wanted to get away from it all.

So he ran. He ran until he couldn't see his friend anymore. But no matter how far he ran, he'd never escape himself. He'd never escape what he did.

He rose his hands to his face, only to feel one of them fade away. His body had changed to how it was now, meaning his right arm was once again gone.

But that was irrelevant at the time. What WAS relevant was the group of ten men standing in front of him in a circular pattern. All of them were dressed in long, white coats and had dark blonde hair and rectangular glasses. Each one was holding a bow and was pointing it into the centre of the ring. The tenth man however didn't do so, his bow pointed at the ground, a look of concern on his face. Something about this one looked familiar.

Looking inside the ring, he could see two more people, one a man with black hair, and the second a woman with white hair. Both of them were injured and had the men pointing their bows at them. Just after he saw them, they both vanished.

One by one, the archers vanished as well till only two remained. As each one vanished something about the tenth archer changed. His glasses vanished, his hair turned darker and messier. Finally his coat was replaced by a poncho as a hat appeared on his head. He dropped his bow and pulled out a gun, pointed straight at the one remaining archer who raised his own bow in response.

Now he knew why that one archer looked so familiar. It was Juro, though who knows how long ago it was. He didn't know what was going on between these two, but he got the feeling that it was important.

And just like with the last three dreams, the two began speaking. "Two pasts have come to join each other, leading to the same future. The lost reaper is bound by blood. To break free, he must abandon his past."

When they finished speaking, the two began to flicker between their current forms and another, much different form. The mystery archer seemed to turn into a skeleton dressed in an elaborate robe, carrying a bow made of scythe blades and an arrow made of bones. Juro on the other hand became a man in a tattered trenchcoat wrapped in chains. With the exception of one eye its entire face was covered in cloth. His gun had also changed into a revolver with a barrel so long it was pressed directly into the other beings face and a second one could be seen in its other hand.

Before either of them could attack everything turned pitch black. There was no sign of anything around him. The images flooded his mind once more but this time, only one stood out to him, the newest one. He didn't know what it was but it terrified him.

The image showed some sort of monster with long, black arms that resembled bones more than flesh with equally disturbing clawed hands. Its legs were almost mechanical, with what looked like armour from the knees down, ending in sharp, dagger-like points. Its face was now a mix of black and grey and, along with the rest of its body was covered in red lines that resembled cracks. Black and white flames danced around its head and resembled hair in how they danced. Black bones sprouted from its back and took the form of wings which were leaking a mysterious black liquid.

It seemed to be wearing a black with red outline, skin tight leotard, which cut off just before it reached her shoulders. Over that appeared to be a blood soaked cloak and on its neck was a choker with an equally bloody chain. Chains were also wrapping around her shoulders which overlapped to form what looked like a cross. Hanging from one hand was what looked like a string of coffins, chained to its wrist by a shackle.

He wasn't sure what about it scared him, or perhaps it was all of it, but he didn't want to look at it. Just as he felt like his mind was going to break from seeing it, he felt something embrace him. He didn't even have to look to know who it was, and just her being there put his mind at ease. He gently accepted the embrace and wrapped his remaining arm around her as he waited for the dream to continue.

"_When despair fills the world, the Saviour will rise. Carrying the hopes, dreams and faith of all, he will vanquish evil and lead all to a beautiful Heaven."_ Hamuko whispered to him, but this time it wasn't in the voice of many, but with her voice and hers alone. Looking at her, he saw something he needed to see more than anything.

Her smiling.

He still didn't know if it was really her or just some illusion made to trick him but that pure smile made everything seem okay with the world. He couldn't help but smile back at her. Even when she faded away, neither of them stopped smiling.

* * *

He was still smiling when he woke up. Then he remembered that his arm had been cut off and that made his mood significantly drop. He was, once again, in a hospital bed. Honestly he should just get a room there considering how often he got hurt. Speaking of which, his injuries looked pretty bad. His chest was covered in bandages, as was his good arm. Thankfully he hadn't suffered any serious injuries to his legs so Matildo had seen no reason to take them off him. Getting up was a challenge since he was used to using both hands to push himself up. His wounds didn't help matters as whenever he tried to move to fast they would flare up, putting him in a lot of pain. Regardless he managed to get out of the bed and approached his belongings, which had been left on a nearby chair. He figured that he would probably need help to get his shirt and coat on, so he decided to leave it for now. Instead he decided to grab his hat and…

"Where's my hat? WHERE THE HELL IS MY HAT!?" He roared, ignoring the pain that caused his lungs. Digging through his things, he could find everything except his hat. Suddenly nothing else mattered. All he wanted at this exact moment was to find it. But alas, it was nowhere to be seen. Taking many a deep breath, he sat down again as he tried to wrap his mind around not having it. It wasn't easy; after all he'd had the thing for years. He'd had it since the orphanage.

He felt terrible. Not only because something he'd grown so used to was gone, but because of what the hat meant to him. It had been a gift from Miki, the only thing he had left of her. He felt like he'd lost his last connection to her.

Before his depression could continue any further, the black Prinny who worked for Mei entered the room. "Sorry to bother you, but I heard you yelling."

"It's fine… What do you want?"

"I thought I should let you know that Mei-Sama has been successfully healed and is in the back room if you want to see her."

To say he was relieved at this was an understatement. He'd been so worried when she got injured, espescially since it was his fault it happened. If only he hadn't been so trusting of Ciel then it wouldn't have happened. But right now the only thing that mattered was that Mei was okay. He could beat himself up about it later. Right now he just wanted to see her. "Can you show me to her?"

"Of course. Follow me." Thankfully the walk to Mei's room was short, as while his legs weren't injured, they felt weak. As soon as he arrived, the Prinny decided to leave, sensing that company wasn't something he wanted right now.

He couldn't tell how badly Mei was hurt. She wasn't hooked up to any machines so he could only assume that she was recovering quickly. On the other hand, since everything past her neck was under a thin quilt. Since she was asleep he opted to sit in a nearby chair and wait for her to wake up. He didn't know how long he'd be there for, but he was willing to wait. In the meantime, he wondered where the others were, and if all of them were okay.

* * *

Agnus followed Mao's group in silence, checking that the others were all with him every couple of minutes. While Mao and most of his team were still confident, everyone who worked with the Persona user had been nervous ever since he'd been sent back. Dai was walking in front of the rest of them, both his weapons drawn. Saiduq and Samantha were keeping close together and were keeping an eye on each other. He knew he should do something to put the group at ease so their next fight would be easier, but he couldn't think of anything. Then again, he'd never been particularly good at looking out for others.

To make matters worse, that butler showed up a minute ago and told them something that no one wanted to hear. Apparently, the ones responsible for this were none other than the Diez Gentlemen, the legendary elites of the Seniors. Having to fight the group whose rumoured power was said to be equal to the Overlord himself was not something Agnus felt confident doing at this point in time. Unfortunately, Mao did not share this opinion and was charging forward at alarming speeds.

It wasn't long before they found themselves in a blood soaked battlefield, ruined armaments scattered as far as the eye could see. A small hill overlooked the area and the remnants of what Agnus assumed was once a small fortress sat in the middle of the field. Mao looked around the area, looking disappointed at how empty the area was. "... Are the Diez Gentlemen even here?"

In response, Almaz took a quick look around. Sure enough, he saw about the same amount as Agnus already had, namely nothing. "I don't see Master Big Star. Maybe he went to a different battlefield."

Soon after he said this, a lone figure walked into their line of sight, a fighter with a limp and a lot of wounds along his body, mostly inflicted by a gun. If he didn't get medical attention soon, he wouldn't be leaving this battlefield alive. In spite of his injuries, he yelled to anyone who could hear him, "Grh...! Someone... Please... Tell Master Big Star...! The Diez Gentlemen... They're here...!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone appeared behind him, a women with long blonde hair, flanked by five gunners, a powerful looking handgun hanging at her side. She wore a black leather jacket and a matching pair of shorts that stopped at the beginning of her thigh, making it look like it was part of the jacket. Both of these things were noticeably tight against her body and had a distinct military look. She wore a matching hat and pair of thigh high boots, creating an aura of an evil general. She spoke with a thick German accent, that just enforced the strict words she spoke. "Shh shh shh. If you've got time to chat, you're not screaming hard enough. Go ahead, try and run!"

In fear, the injured warrior took a step back. The second he did, the mysterious woman raised her gun and fired. The bullet she fired was more akin to a small missile, exploding on impact. The warrior fell to the ground in pain. "Grhah! I'm done for...!"

With his last words spoken, the life lest him and his body became energy that was absorbed by his killer. She looked incredibly disappointed with her most recent kill. "Even his last line was weak. This is getting real boring, real fast. Why does he make us do all this!? I alone could have killed all those Sophomores on a good night."

Unsurprisingly unfazed by the killing that just took place, Mao addressed the mysterious woman. "A girl!? Are you a Diez Gentlemen!?"

Turning to acknowledge them, the woman still didn't look very impressed by who she saw. "Leftovers, huh? Introducing myself to trash like you gets old, but it's his style. I'll tell you who I am. I am Uno of the Diez Gentlemen-."

"Salvatore the Magnificent."

For a second all were confused as their heads turned to a man who'd been standing out of sight the whole time. When the girl saw him, she was so shocked, that her entire militaristic aura just seemed to vanish. "G-gin!? Wh-what are you doing here!?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Why are you attacking the Sophomores? Why are you hypnotizing the Freshman? Why?" Something about his voice made Agnus realize that for whatever reason, saying these things hurt Gin, as if the words tasted like ash. Salvatore lowered her head as she spoke.

"It is our orders, orders we must obey."

"And what happened to the old ways!? Of Demons embracing their freedom and only obeying those stronger than themselves!?"

"The old ways are gone. Now superior orders are absolute. And since I am higher rank than you, I order you to abandon these fools and take your place amongst the Seniors again!" No one was sure if they heard that right. Thinking about it though, it made perfect sense to Agnus. It explained how he had so much magical power and how he knew so much about the Senior classrooms. Why hadn't he seen it before? Apparently the others were coming to the same realization and were all staring at Gin, who paid them no attention as he drew his staff.

"Not gonna happen." He said firmly as a scythe blade extended out of his weapon. Salvatore looked sad about this but raised her gun regardless.

"I do not wish to fight you Gin, but if it makes you see reason then I won't hesitate to shoot you." Her gave drifted to the others and a cold chill went up Agnus' spine as it did. "And I'll be sure to send the ones who corrupted you straight to Hell!"

When she finished speaking a huge aura appeared anound her, making the air thick around them. Several people took a step back the second they felt it and assumed a defensive stance. Beryl was the first to speak up, letting out a gasp as she did. "What a battle aura...! This is the true power of the legendary Diez Gentlemen!"

Sapphire was the next to find her voice, stating what most of them thought but didn't want to say. "Seems they're no comparison to any Demon I've met before this!"

Perhaps the scariest part of all this came when Almaz reminded everyone of something. "Eeeeehh!? And There's nine more of these Demons!?"

"And it seems there's a leader on top of that! It's most likely that this person is the secret ingredient!" Someone stronger thatn the Dies Gentlemen? Agnus really hoped Champloo was wrong about that. Mao on the other hand just seemed more annoyed about the extra work they'd have to do.

"Leader? One after another, there's so many of them that keep popping up. But this is just one ordeal! To defeat Dad, I must..." Not even bothering to finish his sentance, Mao summoned four glowing orbs of lightning and threw them directly at Salvatore, dispelling her aura when it connected, but left no injury on her. If anything, she seemed ammused at this.

"Hoh...? Looks like there's a live one in the mix? And here I thought you'd surrounded yoursefl with complete idiots Gin."

"Hey, lady! Bring out you leader or whatever! I'll put an end to your stupid goal of trying to defeat Dad myself!" Salvatore's smile grew when she heard this.

"I heard the Overlord's son was a Freshman. I guess that would be you."

"Indeed it is! I don't care wether you're a Diez Gentleman or whatever! The Netherworld's No.1 Honour Student is me! It's my destiny to defeat Dad... The Overlord! I won't let some tertiary character or her squabble with some Delinquent get in my way!" Mao said confidently, wind blowing his coat around as he did. Unfortunately Mao's confidence did not spread to all of his team and Almaz approahced him from behind.

"Mao! Don't get her pissed! Miss Beryl, stop him!"

"Nah, I'm with Mao! It's bad enough that some no-namer is trying to kill the Overlord, but her being here is hurting Gin. As his friend I can't allow him to suffer like this!" The delinquents words seemed to make the Senior very angry.

"How dare you!? He belongs with us! You stole him from us, and now I will take him back!" With reflexes that would have put Juro's to shame, she drew her gun and fired a shot directly at Beryl's heart. No one there was in the right position to stop it and there was no way for her to dodge it. It looked like the bullet would hit her and that would be the end, until something appeared before, deflecting it away.

"Attacking an opponent when they're unprepared? How cowardly." came the scolding voice of a familiar, elegantly dressed Demon, his sword drawn at just the right angle to knock the bullet into the ground at his feet. "Is that how the legendary Diez Gentlemen solve all their problems or are you just afraid of a fair fight?"

Salvatore looked slightly happier at the sight of him, and not in a friendly way. "Master Big Star, huh? Looks like I can wipe out all my enemies in one fell swoop and get back an old comrade while I'm at it. This is a good day for me!"

"I'm afraid I won't fall so easily. I have to many friends depending on my victory to die here." He said, his voice as calm as ever. "Besides, I must avenge my fallen allies. I will not let their sacrifices be in vain! I will fight you till my death if I must!"

With two Class Leaders and a Senior on their side, Agnus doubted they would lose this fight. He would have felt more comfortable if some of the others were there, but now wasn't the time to be picky. If he attacked now, he could catch her off guard and give them an edge in the fight. He queitly planted the tip of his spear into the ground and, when no one was looking at him, thrust his fists into the ground, causing a pillar of fire to engulf the Senior before them. Everyone was caught off guard by this, giving him the perfect oppurtunit to draw his spear from the ground and charge her. He was fully expecting to run her through and end this battle in an instant. He was not expecting her to sidestep the attack and jump out of the flames unscathed. Recovering from his suprise quickly, he spun his weapon and tried to hit her with the blunt end. Again she dodged but soon found herself being blown back by incredibly powerful winds. Agnus looked to see Gin with his hand extended forwards. "She is my opponent Agnus. Leave her to me."

As Gin ran to challenge his former ally, Mao yelled after him. "Hey! She's mine! If anyone's gonna beat her it's me!"

Master Big Star simply shook his head as Mao also ran into battle. "Perhaps you're both forgetting that this is my battlefield. I will be the one to handle this invader."

Once the Sophomore leader leapt into battle, Agnus couldn't help but wonder what he should do. They were all powerful, together they could probably defeat Salvatore. He shouldn't intervene. He should just leave it to them. He didn't belong there.

He was too weak.

His blood boiled as his own mind turned against him. He wasn't weak! He was strong! And he was going to prove it!

He could hear people yell for him to stop, that it was crazy for him to fight her, but he didn't care. He needed to do this, he needed to prove that he could defeat her. He needed to prove that he was strong. He'd lost too many times recently. Now was the time to fix that. When he arrived on the small hill the fight had taken them to, Mao was currently slashing at Salvatore's legs, all of which she dodged while firing at Master Big Star, who was stuck blocking the bullets. Gin was off to the side, charging up a spell to use on her. None of them had noticed him, which was surprising considering how fast he was charging towards them. Given how fast she was moving, hitting her with his spear would be challenging, so he decided to do something much more reckless. The moment he was close enought, he jumped straight at her and tackled her incredibly surprised form to the ground. While she was recovering, he raised his spear to stab her. She reacted quickly enough to shoot it from his hand, but not enough to stop said hand from forming a fist and colliding with her face, followed immediately by his other hand. He repeated this attern as much as he could, until he felt a hand pull on the back of his shirt, pulling him off her just before a huge fireball collided with her.

"You should be more careful." The Sophomore said chastisingly as Agnus picked up his spear. Ignroing his words, Agnus waited for the flames to subside and then charged the girl again. This time, she knew he was coming, and fired one of her explosive bullets straight at his forehead. The force of the blast knocked him back, almost colliding with Master Big Star as he did. The Sophomore simply took a step to the right and watched as his underclassmen soared past him. "Hmm, that weapons very powerful. I wonder what you would do without it. Care to find out?"

As he was speaking, he pulled out a rose and held it in Salvatore's direction. Suddenly, a mysterious gale emerged from the flower, encircling the two of them. Salvatore moved to shoot him, only for her gun to be whisked from her hand by the winds. Not letting this bother her, the Senior charged towards him and swung her fist at his heart. Just before it connected, he vanished, as if he was never there. From behind her, she heard his voice. "Over here."

Again she tried to punch him and again he vanished from sight and appeared elsewhere on the field. They repeated this pattern a few more times before Salvatore realised that she would never hit him as long as this barrier was intact and instead took a defensive stance. The younger man chuckled at this and held his rose up to the sky. As if answering a call, the winds all advanced on his opponent, carrying her high into the sky before vanishing completely, sending her back to the ground the hard way. A crater formed where she landed head first. When she emerged from the ground, her hate filled eyes gazed direcctly at the Sophomore, though they were soon forced to focus on the sword swinging Freshman. He was doing better than he had been a few moments ago, grazing her a few times. Et this rate she would eventually make a mistake and then he would finish her.

Sadly, Mao never got that chance, as the Diez Gentleman graciously jumped onto the side of his blade midswing and kicked him in the face. In spite of her slim body, she had an incredile amount of strength and easily sent him crashing into one of the Sophomore's watchtowers, causing the whole thing to crash on top of him. He wasn't badly hurt, but the debris would keep him out of the battle for a few precious minutes. As he tried to claw his way to freedom, Agnus had made it back up the hill and he was very pissed. He was pissed that this girl had withstood his attacks. He was pissed that he'd had to climb this damn hill again. He was pissed that he hadn't beaten any strong opponents since he met Shinjiro. And he was pissed that he'd been shot in the forehead again! Now he was going to unleash all of that anger on this bitch and nothing was going to stop him!

Dropping his spear, a familiar blood red aura engulfed his hands, glowing brighter than ever before. As all his hatred flowed into his hands, he raised them above his head and smashed them into the ground. Once again, he witnessed Salvatore become surronded by the flames he had summoned, though this time his anger had fed the flames till everyone on the battlefield could feel the heat coming off of them. But he wasn't satisfied yet. He needed to know that she died, no matter how much power he had to pour into it. The flmae fueled his anger and his anger fueled the fire, both growing in the presence of the other, until many were forced to stop fighting from the heat.

After almost a whole minute of this, Agnus finally ran out of energy and was forced to stop. He was out of breath from the ordeal but as long as she died he didn't care. And then his blood chilled with just a single sentance. "It would seem you have a little potential."

He didn't want to look, but he needed to. Slowly raising his head, he saw her, covered in soot and minor burns, but still standing and still looking strong. He couldn't believe it. He had put all his strength into that attack and it had barely done anything. How could he be so weak? How could he have done so little to her? Was this how it would always be? Would he never be strong? Would he always lose!? Questions overflowed his mind as he lowered his head again, his spirits broken. Salvatore chuckled at the sight.

"Well, in respect for your efforts, I will show you true power! Behold!" As she spoke, she pulled a small pistol from inside her jacket. Holding it up to the sky, it emit a beam of light and a few seconds later, something appeared in the sky. At first it was too far away to tell what it was but as it got closer, everyone realised what they were seeing.

It was a giant gun.

As soon as that became clear, Slavatore jumped all the way up to it, planting both her feet on the trigger, pushing it back as she did. The gun went off and at the same time, the trigger forced itself back into postion, sending Salvatore back in the direction she had come. As she passed, she spun in the air and landed on the side of the bullet, riding it the rest of the way down. Agnus made no effort to dodge it, feeling like there was no point to doing so. The painwas unbelievable, as the huge bullet made contact with him, practically destroying his chest. He felt his ribcage break and the bones beginning to crush his own organs. Blood poured onto the ground as it gushed from his wound. It would be a miracle if he survived. Though the pain and his own feelings almost made him hope he wouldn't.

Eventually the bullet stopped moving and vanished into thin air, dropping Salvatore and letting Agnus collapse. He could only feel the comfort of the ground before Salvatore liffted him up by the back of his shirt. She didn't care if he would bleed to death, she wanted to feel the life leave his body, she wanted to feel his heart's last beat after she pulled it from his chest. There was no escape for him.

So Gin was forced to rescue him.

She hadn't expected him to rush past, cutting her along the back as he did. The sudden pain made her drop Agnus and stopped her long enough for Gin to grab him and hand him over to a nearby Sapphire, who began healing him immediately. Once he had done this, he turned his attention back to her. She looked like she was in pain, and not just from the scythe wound. "Why Gin!? Why would you put them before you're classman!? Before me!? Why!?"

Gin's sadness was clear on his face. "I'm sorry Salvatore... But the Seniors have lost their way. And I can't be a part of it anymore. And as long as you're loyal to them, then I have no choice but to stop you."

There was silence for a moment before Salvatore let out a yell of pure anger and pain. Once she was done, she leaped into the air again, the aim of her gun switching from Agnus to her former ally. Once again, the bullet flew towards him, but he refused to move. He contiuned to glare at the approaching projectile as it moved closer and closer. Finally, when it was less than a second away from impact, he made his move. Faster than even the speed of the bullet, he stepped behind it, slicing it in half at the same time. Salvatore soon found herself crashing into the ground as the two halves seperated.

Gin was determined to not give her a chance to recover, and quickly launched his second attack. A dark mist gathered aroiund him and from it came five figures, each with skeletal wings, scythes and a mask, though each wore a mask of a different colour. They circled around her, clearly having no intentions of letting her escape. Once they had all taken their places, they began a slow, solemn dance. For the first time Salvatore looked worried. She had seen it before and knew it wouldn't end well for her. And just as she predicted, the moment they finished their dance, they raised their blades and rushed forward, each slashing her as they did. All five blades hit her and cost her a lot of blood. Then Gin slowly approached her, his own weapon ready to attack. This would be the attack that finished her and she knew it. Desperatley, she looked for a way to get out of this.

And then she saw it. By sheer luck, her pistol was just a foot away from her, she could easily reach it. But what would she shoot? Gin? No, that wouldn't stop him and he'd probably just block it anyway. But then luck smiled on her again, as Mao finally emerged from the rubble of the tower in perfect range for her to hit him. That might distract Gin long enough for her to escape. Making her move, she grabbed the gun and fired what was possibly the most important bullet of her life. Her aim was perfect and the Freshman didn't see it coming and made no efforts to move. Gin watched as the bullet flew towards his ally but could do nothing to stop it. While he was distracted, Salvatore pulled out a small remote and, after pushing the only button present on it, vanished in a bright light.

The bullet connected, but not with it's intended target. Instead it collided with a much older Demon. Mao's butler Geoffrey. "Watch out! Young Master!"

The bullet exploded on impact, sending him to his knees. Mao was by his side in a second. "Geoffrey!?"

"Young Master... Are you alright...?" The others soon found their way around the old man, with the exception of Sapphire and Agnus.

"Yes..." Mao mekely answered. Despite the state his body was in, Geoffrey chuckled to himself.

"Hmhmhm... I was far off on my calculations this time. I didn't expect to sacrifice this body... However, I cannot aford to lose you here, Young Master... Even if I am not trusted by you, Young Master, I will always..."

"Geoffrey..." Placing his hand on his underclassman's shoulder, Master Big Star began speaking softly to him.

"So you still had more friends who would sacrifice their lives to save you. I'm sure you realise it now. You're just looking away from it, but you have great friends."

"These... are friends?" Mao's voice was filled with confusion and sadness. Then he remembered who did this. He remembered that his blood was on he hands. And he could feel pure hatred flow into him and refused to leave. His anger was so great that energy began to flow around him. Everyone took a step back as it did, worried about what might happen. "Raaahhhhhhh!"

Geoffrey raised his head, still in noticable pain to gaze upon this sight. "No...! It's too early! Young Master, calm Your heart!"

"He needs to cool down his heart!? Then leave it to me!" Champloo said, proving that he was the only one not worried about Mao right now. Jumping onto a nearby platform he yelled out, "Fire Chaos Style, Kitchen Fist uber secret move! Hot Hot Sensitive Tongue Slash! Kiiiiiaaaaahhhhh!"

With his bizare battlecry complete, he thrust out his palm and a green light shot out of it, engulfing Mao. The green light seemed to cancel out Mao's dark aura and the young Demon returned to normal. "Huh...!? What was I..."

"Young Master... That was dangerous... The ruler of the Netherworld shouldn't be angered for others... No, no... not for others..."

"Geoffrey... I, you were my..."

"Do not say anything. As a Demon, you cannot trust anyone. Not even me... Young Master... Hurry, and become the Demon of all Demons..."

"Geoffrey?"

"That is my... only joy... To see..." Before he could finish, Geoffrey collased to the ground and stopped breathing. Mao cautiuosly approached him.

"... Geoffrey? ... Hey! What's wrong? Wake up! Geoffffffreyyyyyy!"

As the young Demon shook the butler's body, some of the onlookers walked away. They weren't particullary fond of Mao, and they didn't even know Geoffrey. Instead, they picked up Agnus' vaguely healed body and carried him to a Dimensional Gate, Mao's cries of pain following them as they did.

* * *

**OK, I've got something to announce. Mirai666 has sent in a list of people she thinks would work as the voice actors for some of the characters in this story. If you think that these voices match your characters or if you have any alternate suggestions or ideas for characters we missed, please let us know:**

**Aki - Tetsuya Kakihara (Jap), Todd Haberkorn (Eng)**

**Masaru - Takahiro Sakurai (Jap), Travis Willingham (Eng)**

**Juro - Nobuhiko Okamoto (Jap), Chris Patton (Eng)**

**Dai - Kenichi Suzumura (Jap), Troy Baker (Eng)**

**Samantha - Haruka Tomatsu (Jap), Monica Rial (Eng)**

**Agnus - Koki Uchiyama (Jap), Micah Solusod (Eng)**

**Agnes - Aoi Yuuki (Jap), Karen Strassman (Eng)**

**Saiduq - Hiroyuki Yoshino (Jap), Greg Ayres (Eng)**

******Gin - Mamoru Miyano (Jap), Johnny Yong Bosch (Eng)**

**Damia - Hitomi Nabatame (Jap), Erin Fitzgerald (Eng)**

**Mei - Marina Inoue (Jap), Laura Bailey (Eng)**

**Ciel - Iori Nomizu (Jap), Leah Clark (Eng)**

**Terre - Yuichi Nakamura (Jap), Yuri Lowenthal (Eng)**

**Gabe - Atsushi Abe (Jap), Jason Liebrecht (Eng)**

**Remember to let us know what you think and I'll see you next time.**


	31. Chapter 30 Metal Rebirth

**Chapter 30 – Metal Rebirth **

* * *

He didn't know how long he sat by her side before Shinji heard the sound of Mei stirring. As she slowly opened her eyes, he leaned closer to her so she would know that she was safe. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders when he heard her speak. "S-shinji…? Where are we…?"

"The nurse's. You got hurt pretty bad." He could see the silhouette of her arm move under the sheet, resting on her injury. "Why did you do that? It was stupid."

"I can't let you die yet. I still don't know what your insides look like." She wearily chuckled at this, before coughing. He couldn't believe she was laughing at a time like this. She was almost killed by his stupid mistake, and she was making no effort to blame him for it. If anything, that just made him feel worse. After a moment of getting used to the light in the area, Mei looked across at him and noticed the obvious change. "What happened to your arm…?"

Looking down at the stump just below his shoulder, he couldn't help but winch at the reminder of his handicap. "Ciel cut it off. She almost did even worse."

Something in Mei told her to reach out and touch the wound, but to do so, she would have to sit up. So, pushing down with what strength she had, she forced her back off the bed and leaned forwards. Shinji wished she hadn't, as her sitting up had caused the sheet to fall off her, revealing that in order to properly bandage her wounds, Mei's clothes had to be removed.

Thus meaning that the moment she got up, Shinji got an accidental look at her bare chest.

Blushing furiously, Shinji stood up and, in the firmest voice he could muster at that moment in time, yelled at her. "W-w-what are you doing!?"

Stopping her attempts to touch his bandage, Mei tilted her head as she stared at him in confusion. "Doing what?"

"Y-you're…! You're… revealing yourself…!" Looking down, Mei saw what he meant. Without the sheet, the entire top half of her body was uncovered, showing her own bandages, among other things.

"So?" Never had one word destroyed so much of Shinji's mind as that one did at that moment. He almost ripped out a large portion of his hair out of sheer frustration.

"You can't just do that you idiot! Those…" He pointed to her chest. "… Are meant to be covered!"

"Why?" Was she doing this to him on purpose, or did she really not see the big deal? Either way, Shinji was just a few seconds away from banging his head on the wall.

"They just are! Now put the sheet back on!" As he said this, he grabbed said sheet and began pulling it back up her chest. Unfortunately, he underestimated the distance between his legs and the bed and wound up knocking the former into the latter, causing him to lose his balance. This wouldn't have been a problem normally, he would have just held his arm out and caught himself before he could fall. Unfortunately, since he forgot that he was now short one arm and the other one had no angle to place itself at that would stop him. So a second later, he found himself collapsed on the bed, his face landing in a swarm of black feathers. He could feel something in his hand but he wasn't sure what, only that it was warm. And soft. And vaguely round.

His embarrassment skyrocketed when he realised what his hand had landed on, not helped when he realised that he and Mei's bare chests were pressed together, or that he could feel that her legs had separated to avoid being crushed by his own. The entire position they had landed in was, needless to say, a very awkward one.

Desperately, he moved his hand from its current position and attempted to lift himself from on top of her. Mei made no effort to help, and just seemed incredibly confused by the whole thing. Shinji was making good progress until he heard something, the sound of the door opening and someone entering. Turning his head so incredibly slowly, his eyes met the bored looking form of Masaru. For a good ten seconds, there was complete silence and a total lack of movement. Finally, the Ronin broke the silence, still sounding as disinterred as he always did. "Well, I guess that's one way to deal with pain."

If it was possible to die from embarrassment , Shinji would have dropped dead right there and then. But he wasn't that lucky and was forced to find some way to deal with this situation. He would have explained right then, but his brain was so overwhelmed that all his mouth could create was stuttering gibberish.

"Whatever. Just don't take too long you two." And with that Masaru left, caring as little about what he'd seen as he did about everything else in his life. Shinji on the other hand considered his reputation with his teammates as good as gone. Then again, he might have lost it when he lost his arm, so maybe that wasn't even a problem. Either way, he desperately wanted to stop Masaru before he told anyone what he thought he had seen. With determination he hadn't felt since he first got to the Netherworld, Shinji forced himself off of Mei, collapsing to the floor as he did. Quickly getting to his feet, he chased after the black clad swordsman, leaving a very confused Mei alone in the room, wondering what had gotten into Shinji all of a sudden.

* * *

Masaru had gotten a surprising distance for a man who was walking at a fairly slow pace, but Shinji eventually caught up with him. When the bandage covered man approached him, the messy haired Demon simply decided to stare at him till he decided to speak. After taking a moment to decide on how to calm himself and think about what he was going to say, Shinji said, "Look, I know what that looked like in there, but I swear it's not what you think."

"Really? 'It's not what I think'? You're honestly using THAT excuse?" Masaru said in a voice which not only implied he didn't believe him, but was incredibly unimpressed by Shinji's attempts to explain. It was clear that he wasn't going to believe any attempts on Shinji's part to explain the truth, so he went to plan B; threaten him.

"Look, if you tell anyone else about what you saw, it'll be the last thing you say!" Silence followed. A second later, Masaru drew his sword and shredded nearby stone pillar before sheathing his sword again, all in the space of about five seconds. He didn't say a word, but his actions spoke all the words he needed to, and those words were '_Try me'_. In his current state, Shinji doubted messing with the expert swordsman would be beneficial to his health and decided that threatening him was probably not his smartest move.

With explanation and threats failing, the next logical thing to try would be bribery. "What I meant to say that if you don't mention it to anyone, I'll put you in charge of the teams money. You could buy whatever you wanted."

"What I want can't be bought or given. Besides, I'm already stuck keeping track of our enemies, don't stick me with another job I don't want." Shinji was quickly running out of things to try. If Masaru told the others what he had seen, then he probably wouldn't even be able to look at them anymore, let alone work with them. So, he resorted to the last thing he could think of. Shinji was going to beg.

"Please. You can't tell anyone! If you do, I won't be able to face them… Please." He said, eyes forced shut as he forced the words out. Masaru made sure that at least five seconds passed before he gave his response.

"… I wasn't going to tell them. What you do in your spare time isn't my problem."

Shinji didn't know if there was a word for a feeling of relief mixed with incredible frustration, and if there wasn't he'd probably invent one. Either way, that word, whatever it was, was the perfect one to sum up how he felt at that exact moment. Before he could get his emotions in check, Masaru decided to change the subject, and not to one that made Shinji any more comfortable.

"So, how'd this happen?" He asked, roughly grabbing the stump where an arm used to be, uncaring that he was injuring his leader. Shinji had to force his way free of the Demon's grip before he could bring himself to answer.

"Someone cut it off. She pretended to be weak and scared, and then when my guard was down… If Mei hadn't been there I'd be dead. We barely got out of there."

"That was a stupid mistake. Letting your guard down is like giving up. Do that, and it's not just you that's at risk."

"…" Shinjiro couldn't deny what Masaru was saying, as it was all true. He knew that this quest was dangerous, he knew that others were putting their lives on the line because of it and he knew that he should always be on guard. Yet he still made that mistake, and someone almost died because of his stupidity.

The sound of some people teleporting into the area, and several familiar voices getting louder interrupted their conversation. As the forms of Dai, Samantha and Saiduq rushed past, the two of them could just briefly see Agnus being carried by Dai straight into the nurses. He was badly injured, so much so that Shinji was amazed that he was still breathing. Wordlessly agreeing to put their conversation on hold, something Shinji was very grateful for, the two followed them to see what had happened to their ally.

* * *

By the time they got there, Agnus' shirt had already been removed, and Matildo was looking at the injuries under it. They looked even worse uncovered, almost all of his chest being an unhealthy shade of red and at least one of his cuts showing a little of the bone underneath. Matildo immediately began work, and all watched as the injuries began to fade. They heard his bones snap back into place as the rest of his wounds closed and the bruising began to fade. It was unpleasant to watch, but at least it was quick. In spite of the fact that he looked fine now, Matildo still insisted that she wrap a large amount of bandages around his chest. Apparently the bandages were special, and helped the one they were applied to deal with the pain while they slept.

One by one, everyone left the room, with the exception of Shinjiro, who stood by his allies bed, just staring down at his unconscious form and Matildo, who was checking that she had healed all his injuries. "He'll be fine. I made sure to heal his internal wounds and the bandages will mean he'll wake up in just a few hours."

"… I should have been there. Maybe I could have stopped this…"

"You know, getting hung up on what ifs is a bad habit. It doesn't help your friend and it just hurts you. Don't focus on regrets, just learn from your errors so they don't happen again." She said in a surprisingly kind voice. Her logic was sound, regrets wouldn't help him, or any of the others.

"…Thanks." He couldn't let this happen again. He'd lost before but now he knew what he'd done wrong and how to prevent it from happening again. Then he'd be able to protect everyone. Agnus and Mei would never get hurt like this again. Speaking of Mei, the memory of her reminded him of something very important and very embarrassing. "Ummm… This is off subject but… D-do you have Mei's clothes? I didn't see them in her room."

The nurse gave him a knowing, mischievous smile. "Did you get a good look?"

If he wasn't red before, he definitely was now.

"Hehehe. They're right on my desk. Feel free to take them to her." With his question answered, he decided to get out of there before the girl could continue to make fun of him. The moment he left, the nurses expression became serious as she walked behind a nearby curtain. Once she did, she created a magical circle and waited for the one it was summoning to appear.

"You called?" Turning, she came face to face with a familiar white haired man wearing a white cloak.

"I have information to report." Ruroni signalled for her to continue. "That mysterious girl who showed up not long ago was injured."

"That's not our concern."

"Ordinarily I'd agree with you. But something… Interesting has happened."

"Oh?"

"She was stabbed through the chest, yet her injuries healed faster than is possible. They were almost completely healed by the time I began my work."

"So? Someone must have healed her before she got here."

"They had, but I saw her injuries. They were still severe when she first arrived, but when I had prepared myself to heal her, most of the wounds were completely sealed. I looked away for a few minutes at best."

"Hmm, that is unusual. I'll tell the boss about it and see what he has to say. I take it you haven't told her allies about this?"

"No. I want to learn more about it before I rouse their suspicions. It would be best to keep conflict amongst them to a minimum."

"Indeed. I'll keep an eye on it. You try to keep it secret from them till we figure this out."

"Of course. Be sure to keep me informed Ruroni." The white haired man didn't answer, instead deciding to simply walk away and get to work. Matildo didn't question this, reverting to her more playful, teasing act. She needed her mission to succeed, and if she didn't act how she needed to, the whole thing may collapse. She would not be responsible for all their hard work being ruined.

* * *

After dropping off Mei's clothes, Shinji got a report from the others on what had happened in his absence. He didn't like the sounds of these Diez Gentleman and would have to interrogate Gin next time he saw him. Regardless, he decided that he'd best stick with Mao's group for now. They were already struggling with their help, having to fight without them would be… unwise.

"Is Mao back?"

"We think so. We saw some of his servants walking around so he's probably not too far." Juro reported before awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Hey… Will you, uh, be ok?"

Shinji instinctively raised his hand to his wound. "This won't stop me."

"I don't doubt that. But are you going to be able to defend yourself like that? You always fought with your right arm. Can you even use your axe with your left?" That was something Shinji hadn't considered. As far as he remembered, he'd never tried using his axe left handed, so it was fully possible he couldn't.

"I'm sure I can hold my own. Arm or not, I won't lose."

Everyone else shared a nervous glance at each other, but none of them questioned him. He could tell that they all had their doubts, and he couldn't blame them. Seeing him like this wouldn't have built their confidence, especially since they were expecting him to lead them. He wished he could have eased their mind, but his words probably would have sounded hollow. So instead he simply walked towards Mao room, and hoped he'd find the glasses wearing Demon inside.

* * *

When he arrived, Mao was angrily ranting about power, and something about turning his body into a cyborg or robot. Really, Shinji didn't care. It just sounded like a kid throwing a temper tantrum. But, whether he liked it or not, sticking with him was their best chance of winning. He was about to break Mao's rant when the white haired Demon noticed him. More specifically, he noticed his bandaged elbow and lack of anything below it. A twisted smile spread across his face as he quickly violated Shinji's personal space and pulled him further into the room, muttering something the entire time. By the time Shinji realised what was happening, Mao had let him go and was digging something out of a nearby box. Shinji got the feeling Mao wouldn't let him leave until he was done.

"Ah ha! I knew it was here!" Removing his head from the box, Mao brandished a metal disk. On one side of the disk was a large ring with complicated machinery inside it along with several spikes pointing inwards. The other side had a smaller hole on it that it's opposite and no sign of anything that would cause someone pain. Whatever this thing was, Shinji had a bad feeling about it. When Mao pressed a button, the spikes retracted and his smile grew.

Before anyone could react, he dashed across the room, pulling the bandages off of Shinji's wounds and shoving the large disk on to his arm, pressing the button again to dig the spikes into his arm. The pain was incredible, and if he hadn't been used to worse pain, the shock probably would have killed him. As he tried to deal with the pain, Mao pulled something else out of the box and connected it to the disc.

After lashing his body around for several seconds, Shinji snapped his eyes opened and yelled at the top of his lungs. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?"

He was surprised to see that Mao was now lying on his back with a bruise on his chin. He briefly wondered how that happened before realising something more important. There was now an incredible weight on the right side of his body, pulling his shoulder down. Looking down, he saw a large metal tube as long as his forearm emerging attached to his elbow. At the end of the tube was a metallic hand.

It was an arm. A new, robotic arm.

He had to wonder if it really worked and, to his shock, it did. When he tried to get it to move, it did. It was slow and given its weight it was more challenging than usual but that didn't change the fact that it worked. He had an arm again. Sure its fingers only bent in the middle which would make holding thing difficult, but at least he COULD hold them now.

Then he realised that he must have hit Mao by accident with his pain filled thrashing and felt a little guilty about it. He decided to apologise, first by helping Mao back to his feet. "My bad."

"Tch, whatever. The point is the arm works. Now go test it!"

"Huh?"

"Test it! Go fight someone! I need to know how well it works!" It quickly dawned on Shinji that Mao hadn't done this out of any sort of kindness. He only wanted to see how well it worked. Regardless, he was thankful for this, though he did feel like hitting Mao again for not warning him before doing it. It was only then he remembered that there were other people in the room, made obvious when Beryl took that chance to start speaking.

"Wow… Something Mao built actually worked!"

"Hey! Of course it worked! My calculations are never wrong!" Mao yelled at the nearby girl. It did nothing to remove the looks of shock on everyone's faces or the confused one Almaz had.

"Why did he have a robot arm just the right size lying around?" He was not surprised when everyone ignored him and Mao and Beryl continued arguing. Shinji figured that waiting for them to finish would just waste his time, so he decided to silently leave and think of something more productive to do.

* * *

The moment he stepped outside the door he ran into a solemn figure, gazing out across the Academy's main hall. His expression mixed with his black suit would make people think he was at a funeral. Not that Shinji couldn't understand why. If he had to fight SEES, he'd probably look the same as the man before him.

"You ok?" Gin turned when he heard Shinji's voice, having failed to notice his presence till now. His eyes still held great sadness.

"Yeah… I just…"

"I get it. You don't want to fight your old allies, cause you remember when you shared the same goal?" Gin's only answer was a sad nod. He looked like the world had crashed down on top of him.

"I will if I must. But…" Even though he didn't finish, Shinji knew exactly what Gin was going to say. To try and reassure him, he placed his hand on Gin's shoulder.

"I'll help where I can. I can't carry your burden for you, but I can take some of its weight." Gin gave a weary smile at this.

"Thank you Shinjiro. I know I can count on your word." Shinji felt like he'd been able to help Gin, even if just a little. But that was all he could do for now. Still, he was glad he could help his ally, and he felt like he understood the Delinquent mage a little better. Gin turned back to look over what the Seniors had done to the Academy. "You should get back to your friends. I'll let you know what Mao's next move will be."

"Thanks Gin." Everyone was back at the nurse's so he decided to get back there and let them all know about what had happened.

* * *

The moment he got back, everyone noticed his new arm and stopped to gawk at it. Aki thought it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen while Dai started contemplating whether he should get his own. Juro thought it lacked style but was better than no arm, a direct contrast to Kirijo, who thought its simple nature gave it a certain charm to it. Samantha and Saiduq agreed that it looked strong and would be useful in their future battles. And Masaru, unsurprisingly, looked at it for a few seconds, then went back to ignoring it.

"Now that you're all done invading my personal space, can we get to business?" No one argued. "Good. How are Mei and Agnus?"

"Mei's all better and should be with us in a minute. We haven't checked on Agnus since you left." Aki reported.

"Alright. Guess I'll check." So Shinji took the short walk to Agnus' room and opened the door. But all that greeted him was an empty bed. All of Agnus' stuff was gone and it was clear that someone had left in a hurry. "Where is he? Where is he!?"

Everyone heard him yell and came to join him. But none of them had an answer. They all thought Agnus was still here, and they hadn't seen anyone leave. So where had he gone?

* * *

Agnus coughed and wheezed as he leaned on his spear. He wasn't fully healed, but he needed to get out of there before anyone else got back. Eventually he caught his breath and kept walking. "Sorry guys… But I need to do this…"

Thoughts of his last battle flashed before his eyes. He still remembered how weak he felt when Salvatore walked off his strongest attack. Nothing he'd done had worked on her and there were still nine more Seniors just as strong as her. Then he remembered his attempts to help fight that Human that Shinji and Kirijo knew. He remembered how he'd completely failed to land a hit on the guy, and was sent to the ground after a single shot. And before that there was the battle with Damia, and his failure to fend off her charm spell. In that battle he'd been nothing but a hindrance.

And then he remembered when it all began. How his losing streak started when a human in a coat and hat approached him in his training grounds and sent him flying into a wall. Ever since that fight with Shinji, he'd been losing to enemies that just got stronger. He'd though that if he stuck with Shinji then he'd get stronger. But all it had done was show him how weak he was compared to the rest of the world. And if he wanted to gain the strength to look his own allies in the eyes, then he'd have to look for it another way.

He'd have to search alone.

"Wait for me guys…"

* * *

Meanwhile, in a room filled with warm light, a man in a white suit sat at a desk and waited. He had just sent a signal for his most powerful servants to gather here. So far, only one had arrived, the archer who had previously reported to him. "I take it that since you called all of us, something very important has happened?"

The man in white smiled at the man across from him. "Indeed. Something so important, that we must change our plans to meet it."

"Oh? What could be so important?"

"You should calm down Cheshire Cat." Spoke a voice from behind them. Leaning next to the door was a man in a black suit with coattails, wearing a matching pair of gloves and a fedora hat that was currently obscuring his eyes. His white hair was a sharp contrast to the rest of his outfit but still made him look highly suspicious. The archer grunted at him.

"You… How many times do I have to tell you not to refer to me as that?"

The suit wearing man cocked his head in mock confusion. "Why not? You always show your teeth when you smile, just like the storybook cat. Just like you the cat hunts its prey from the shadows. Yes, I think Cheshire Cat is a perfect name for you. Much better than that barbaric 'Grinning Reaper' nonsense."

"Don't tempt me to shoot you."

"Try me Cheshire Cat. I'd love to see your fangs." Before either of them could continue, the man in white spoke with a voice of authority.

"Gentlemen. We are allies are we not? Therefore, please refrain from raising arms against each other. It would be shame if one of you died, especially if your blood stained this quite expensive suit of mine." Reluctantly, the archer heeded his words and turned his back on the man in black, who mockingly waved at him as he did.

Soon after this argument was resolved, an elderly looking man in a lab coat entered the room, followed by a younger looking man in a red robe. One by one, more people entered, forming a line in front of the man in white's desk. When all of them stood before him, he stood and raised his arms in greeting.

"My loyal allies. Achlys has been found."

* * *

**Consider this my Christmas gift to you all. I'd just like to say thanks to everyone who's read this story, reviewed it, followed it, favourite it and especially if you sent in a character, all of which are great and I really look forward to writing them all in. Biggest thanks of all to my brother, whose knowledge of mythology and support has really helped me along, Mirai666, whose wonderful ideas have helped me shape this story into what it is and made it even better than it would have been without her, Demons Anarchy, who's challenge to me was what inspired this fic in the first place, and to MissHanamura, who was the reason I got a Fanfiction account in the first place.**

**So Merry Christmas everyone! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, then just have a really great day! **

**Thank you all for your continued support and I hope to see you all in 2013!**


	32. Chapter 31 Conflicting Beliefs

**Chapter 31 – Conflicting Beliefs**

* * *

For roughly an hour, everyone searched the campus for Agnus, but all came up empty handed. No one even found a clue to which way he might have gone, or how long ago he had left. After they all reached the conclusion that he was gone and they weren't going to find him, they reunited at the nurses.

"What are we gonna do? We're down a man and we're fighting something stronger than anything we've ever seen!" Dai asked no one in particular. The question was one they all shared. Why would Agnus leave now? Why wouldn't he tell any of them? Had he chose to leave, or had something forced him to?

The silence proved that no one had an answer. Masaru let out an annoyed sigh. "If he wants to act like an idiot and get himself killed, that's his problem. We've got bigger things to worry about, like the Seniors."

Kirijo was appalled at Masaru's words and made it perfectly clear. "How could you say that about your own ally!?"

"He abandoned us. That doesn't make him our problem. Our problems are an invading army and a crippled leader. Or am I the only one here who know how to prioritise?" His words stung, but Shinji expected nothing less. The Ronin never gave the impression that he cared for other people's opinions or if he hurt their feelings. Still, he couldn't just sit down and take this abuse from his own ally.

"I don't care what you say. I can fight and you can still trust me to lead you."

"After that mistake you made? If you hadn't made it, you'd still have an arm." The air turned colder as he said this, none of the others wanting to agree, but none seeing anyway they could deny it.

"I know I was wrong, but I've learned from it! I'm stronger than I was before! I can do this!"

"Can you? Maybe you should have listened to what that guy said. We're counting on you as our leader to keep us all alive. How can you do that if you can't even protect yourself?" The memory of that mysterious swordsman made Shinji's blood boil. Half of him was tempted to hit Masaru just for bringing him up and the other half wanted to hit him for agreeing with him. Thankfully, someone much calmer took over the conversation for him.

"Aragaki always puts others before himself. I trust his judgment, and that he will gladly keep us out of harm's way. Hasn't he proven that already?" Masaru's attention drifted to the businessman, trying to think of any counter arguments.

"…Whatever. I'll be getting ready for our next fight." Not waiting for anyone to respond or try to stop him, Masaru turned and walked over to the armour shop, examining the various items inside. One by one, other members of the team followed his example, going to get things from the various shops, or pay a visit to Takehisa. Soon only Shinji and Kirijo remained.

"Why did he bring that guy up!? He knows how pissed that guy made me!"

"He's looking out for the others." Kirijo's words confused him. How was angering their leader looking out for them? Thankfully, Kirijo went in to further detail. "He's voicing the things that the others are thinking, that they feel you need to know about. They want to make sure you can protect them, but they're afraid of how you'll react. He says these things so they don't have to, so you'll think about them and become stronger from it, without getting angry at the others. At least that's what I think."

"You got all that from a single conversation?" To be honest, he was amazed he was able to tell that much about anyone that quickly, let alone from a man who always wore a face of indifference and sounded like even the end of existence wasn't his problem.

"I've seen that kind of behaviour before… from an old friend of mine. Seeing how nervous the others were and how calm Masaru was reminded me of him, so I thought it might be the same. Maybe I'm wrong. All I know is that now isn't the time to be fighting amongst our allies."

"I know. It's just... How can I get their trust back? How can I make them believe in me again?"

"You can't make people believe, Aragaki. If you want someone to believe in you, to trust you, you have to earn it. Find a way to show them that your way is right, and that they can believe in you."

"How?" Kirijo shook his head.

"I can't tell you that Aragaki. People react in different ways to different things. You need to find out what they need, to believe in you. That's what it takes to be a leader."

"I guess you'd know..."

"...Sadly. I know that being in command is... difficult. So if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll listen." He had to admit, having someone who still had faith in him was just what he needed right now. The fact that Kirijo happened to be good at giving him advice, just made it better. Having someone like this by his side was beyond helpful.

"...Thanks." It was almost hard to believe that this man in front of him could be so wise, yet still not have realised that acting like a pervert around Demons who could rip his face off at any time was a bad idea. It just showed that there was more to this man than you'd think, that there was more of him that Shinji was finally starting to understand.

"We'd best get ready ourselves. We don't know what lies in store, but I doubt it will be easy."

"Right. I'll check on Mei, you get ready." Kirijo nodded and went to check the shops. His advice had been helpful, though he'd still have to find a way to make it work. But right now that didn't matter. Right now there was a girl who almost died for him who he needed to check on.

* * *

He made sure to knock before entering Mei's room. He didn't want a repeat of what happend earlier today. To his surprise, the door was opened by a tall blond man, who immediatley grabbed him and pulled him into the room. "Good. You're here. I've been waiting for an hour now!"

"What do you want?" Shinji really didn't want to stick around. He had work to do and people waiting for him. But it didn't look like Champloo would let him leave yet, not until he'd said or done whatever had caused him to wait this long for him.

"I came to ask a favour of you, an important one."

"I don't have time for it." He turned his back on the chef but soon found an hand on his shoulder spinning him back around.

"Make time. You remember that man in black from the Sophomore battlefields?" Shinji's blood boiled at the mention of the man. Why was everyone bringing him up? "I need you to find him."

"You can't be serious! You want ME, the guy who hates him, to find him for you!?"

"Yes. Sometimes a conflict of flavours is benefitial to both, boom!"

"And sometimes it just ruins the dish! See, I can make food metaphors too!"

"Impressive. Anyway, I'd look for him myself, but I'm too busy, and this can't wait, lest one of the main courses be under cooked!"

"I'm busy too!"

"Doing what? Do you even have a plan?" Shinjiro opened his mouth to answer, but found that nothing would come out. Truth be told, his only plan was to follow Mao, which Champloo was doing as well. After a moment of thought, he realised that he honestly had no other plan at the moment. He had no excuse apart from his own hatred of the black clad man. Eventually he let out a sigh.

"If I decide to look for him, which I might not, what do you want from him?" Champloo's smile, which was already quite broad, semmed to grow, as if those words confirmed what he wanted to hear.

"I have met him in the past and have a message for him. Delivering it to him is crucial. I would be very grateful if you were to do this, boom!"

"And that message is?" Champloo glanced at Mei, who had been sitting there, surprisngly quiet for the entire conversation. Then again she had been staring at Shinji's mechanical arm with a mix of shock and amazment, so she might not have even been focussing on their conversation. The older Demon still decided it was too risky to assume that she wasn't listening, and beckoned Shinji closer while leaning forward himself. Eventually he whispered something into the young mans ear. To Shinji it meant nothing, but he memorised it anyway. "I don't understand. What does that mean?"

"Trust me, when he hears that, he'll know what it means."

_"No, don't give a straight answer. That would be too helpful."_ Shinji couldn't help but think to himself. He really wanted to say it, but he figured that it wasn't really his problem if the message made sense or not. Then again, he hadn't even decided if he was going to deliver it yet. But really, he couldn't say no to the request. Champloo said it was urgent and Aki probably wouldn't be happy if he learned that he turned down a request from his mentor.

Plus, when else was he going to get a chance to punch that guy?

"Alright. I'll get it to him."

"Nyahahaha! I knew you'd agree! You have my gratitude!"

"Where can I find him?"

"One of my students saw him heading for the school's frozen wing. Chances are, he's still there." Shinji couldn't help but shiver s little when he heard that. He'd been to the frozen wing before and it's name was appropriate. It was also where he and his allies fought Damia, one of their strongest opponents to date, who almost beat them all singlehandedly. Needless to say, he didn't have great memories of the frozen wing.

"I'll get over there once Ive gathered up my team." As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over now. He'd make sure that Champloo paid him back for it, but they'd discuss that later. Before he could leave though, Champloo spoke once more.

"You should know what to call him before you go." Shinji stopped to listen, but didn't turn to look at the speaker. "He answers to the name... Terre."

Terre. So that was that bastards name. Nodding, to confirm he heard it, the Persona user walked out again and headed back to his room. If he was going to meet this guy, he'd have to be prepared.

* * *

With a little more difficulty than usual, Shinji eventually got his shirt and coat on. He was glad his coat was in tact, but that last fight had left some holes in the shirt that he wasn't entirely comfortable with. Plus half of one of the sleeves was missing, but since his new arm was wider than his old one, it wasn't really a problem. He was still upset by the loss of his hat, but there was nothing he could do about it. Grabbing the rest of his items, he walked out to find everyone gathered. Once Shinji reached them, Aki cut in. "Mei explained the situation to us."

Shinji glanced at her when Aki said this, only now noticing that she was there. The second he saw her, he remembered what had happend earlier and averted his gaze again. Before anyone could notice, Masaru decided to start talking. "So, now we're glorified messanger pigeons. That's just great."

Shinji decided to ignore him and just start explaining the situation in full. "Look, we just need to find this guy, deliver the message and come back. Trust me, I think this is stupid too, but it beats charging forward with no plan at all."

"Do we have any idea where to go?" Aki asked.

"The frozen wing of the school. Where we fought Damia." He was glad to see that almost everyone had the same reaction to that statment as he did. The only two who reacted differently were Dai, who just seemed to get angry, and Kirijo, who was probably thinking things which should be best left in the deepest parts of the internet. "That's where he was last seen. If we're gonna find him, that's our best bet."

He was honestly expecting Masaru to find someway to insult him about this as well, but the Ronin remained silent. Instead, he started walking towards the Dimensional Gate, seeming to have accepted that they were doing this and there was nothing he could do about it. The others soon followed, so apparently they were willing to go with him for this. He doubted they were really okay with it, but perhaps now he'd have the chance to prove that he still had what it takes to lead them.

Stepping towards the gate, he told the Prinny where they needed to go and just a few seconds later, they emerged in the frozen wing of the school. As soon as he looked at it, his blood turned cold, and not because of the temperature. It had changed since they'd last been there.

The entire are was covered in dark purple crystals, many of them decorated with the corpses of impaled Demoons. And even the ones that weren't were surronded by the bodies of their victims, some in more than one piece. There was only one thing that he knew of that could do this, and last time he saw her, she cut off his arm and almost killed him and Mei.

Running into her would be the worst thing to possibly happen right now. He prayed to anything that would listen, that she wasn't here.

Regardless, he needed to press on. The others followed with caution, as all but two of them recognised the crystals and knew to fear who they were a sign of. Aki and Masaru didn't understand why everyone else was so nervous at the sight of the crystals, but they knew there must be a good reason, so kept their guard up as well. But none seemed more concerned than Kirijo, who was trailing behind the others with his head down and his expression showing that he was deep in thought. The others didn't notice though, they were too busy checking everywhere they could see for even the slightest sign of a threat, be it from the ysterious man they were sent to find, the flirtatious yet ruthless Succubus they fought on their last visit to this area, or the psychotic rose haired girl who crippled their leader so easily.

They wandered from the entrance to the the heart, passing every door and checking them all in turn. No matter where they looked, they could find no sign of their target. No footsteps in the snow, no signs of a drawn blade. All they found was ice, crystals and the corpses they had created. They knew not how someone could leave no signs of his presence, leading them to believe that maybe he had never been here at all.

"We're wasting our time. He's not here." Juro said, his fear of their enemies replaced with boredom and a growing distaste for the cold. "Maybe someone back in the main building saw him."

"Even if they did, the Seniors have probably hypnotized them by now. Plus, how do we know he's even still in the Academy? For all we know he got out of here hours ago." Samantha cynically stated.

"Then what do you suggest?" Dai questioned, clearly annoyed. Everyone seemed to take this as their cue to start talking, each of them suggesting a different plan of action and bitterly arguing with anyone who disagreed with their idea. Mei tried to get people to stop arguing and think, but they were too busy yelling to hear her, let alone listen to what she has to say. Kirijo was still deep in thought and so was avoiding the argument entirely, whilel Masaru massaged his temples to battle the oncoming headache he was getting from all the noise.

Shinji witnessed as his allies fought amongst themselves, none agreeing with anyone else. He knew he had to stop it, that it was his duty as leader to stop it. But his mind was blank and his mouth wouldn't move. And even if he could stop them, he had no idea what to suggest. All of their ideas had potential, but they also all had flaws. None seemed like the wrong choice but he doubted that any where the right choice, and if there was one he couldn't tell it apart from the others.

"So this is how you lead. With indecision and incompetence." All arguments stopped as they heard those words. He knew that voice. He had barely heard it, but even a single breath in that voice would put him in a foul mood. Turning, Shinji saw the very man they had been looking for. How he snuck up on all of them was a mystery, but now he stood before them, gazing at Shinji with a mix of complete contempt and condescending pity. Everything about him seemed to exist to anger Shinji, as if this man had been created for that purpose alone.

"Tch. About time you showed up."

"I've been here for a while, watching you fail to exceed my expectations." Contrast to his sharp tone from beefore, the man now spoke in a dull, bored tone, as if this wasn't even worth his time. The effect was the same however, in that it made Shinji want to drop him off a cliff.

"So, you've been screwing around in the shadows? What are you afraid to meet us till you have an excuse to gloat?"

"I don't gloat. I simply state truth, even if you don't want to accept it."

"Truth? Sounds more like bullshit to me."

"Then clear it out of your ears. Maybe you'll hear better." As they spoke, the two began walking in a circle, their eyes never leaving each other. Their argument seemed to have evolved from what it had been before, now closer resembling that of a game between two rivals. It was as if their words were chess pieces, and each would wear down the other's evertime they spoke. The only question was who would corner the other first.

"Or maybe you've got so much inside you it mixes with your words."

"This coming from the guy who probably hasn't stopped to clean up since he got here?"

"And how would you know that? Are you so bored to watch me when I sleep?"

"I don't need to. I can smell you from here."

"Well, not all of us are so vain to put washing our hair over fighting a war." By now both men had walked past where the other and once stood and returned to where they began. As soon as Shinji's allies were behind him once more, both stopped and stood perfectly still.

"Fighting a war you say? If this a war, you'd make sure your enemies are dead before you turned your back on them."

"Sometimes killing things isn't the answer to our problems. I doubt you'd understand that." For some reason, that comment seemed to upset the man, who had until now shruged off all of Shinji's other accusations.

"I understand more than you possibly could. I've seen the cruelty that exists in all worlds. Only the blade can end that kind of sin. But you're too afraid to draw yours. Is that why you've got a toy for an arm?"

"This? It's proof I had the balls to fight my enemy. Not just cut him down when he's weak and unprepared." Terre sighed at the thought of this and shook his head slowly.

"Still naive. You wish for victory, yet you choose to fight head on. Only a fool fights an army like that. A wis man would cut them through the heart and watch as their life bleeds away."

"I'd rather be a brave fool than a cowardly wise man." Both men drew their weapons slowly and in perfect unison. Both knew that their was only one was for this to go, and both wanted a blade in hand for when it happend. Kirijo and Aki held the others back, knwoing that this was Shinji's battle, and that to intervene would simply insult his skills. If he wanted to prove himself to Terre, he'd have to do it alone.

"Cowardly? I prefer to think of myself as..." He spun his sword around before pointing it directly infront of him, it's point lining up with Shinji's heart. "Pragmatic. Care for me to show you?"

"Only if you don't use that disappearing act of yours."

"Well that's not fair. If I get a handicap, so should you. Let's say... no Persona. Show me how good you are without it." He couldn't help but let his eyes widen at those words.

"How do you know about Personas?" He wished he hadn't said that. Until now, he'd done well in covering his faults and forccing them back at his opponent. Now he'd just given the man the first clear victory in the entire conversation. Terre's small smirk confirmed it. The first round of their game was over. Now round two could begin.

"Tell you what, beat me and I'll tell you." As he said this, he lowered his body and pressed the tip of his blade down. He was ready to charge at any moment. In response, Shinji entered his own fighting stance.

"Then I'll learn it soon enough." Deciding that the time for talking was over, both men started to walk to each other, starting slowly, but gradually gaining speed. Terre's black sword scraped along the ice and Shinji's axe dragged behind him as they charged at each other, and with a mighty swing their blades connected, the resulting sound echoing across the entire wing of the Academy.

The twin blades grinded against each other. The weight of the axe pressed the much lighter sword down, but the Black Demon Hunter possesed great strength, keeping it from crushing him. From an outsider perspective, the men looked equal, but that was not the case. Shinji could feel that he couldn't keep this up. His new arm didn't have as tight a grip as his original one. Everytime he applied pressure, or Terre succesfully pushed him back even a little, he felt the handlemove slightly. This combined with the fact that he'd never fought with this new arm before, gave him a serious disadvantage. He didn't know if Terre could feel it as well, but if he did then this fight was going to be a lot harder.

While he was busy worrying, Terre took his chance and pivoted his body to the right, removing his sword from under Shinji's axe at the same time. With nothing under it to prevent it's momentum, the axe buried itself in the frozen floor. The moment it did, Shinjiro felt a kick to the back of his knee, causing him to stumble, leaving him defencless to a spin kick to the face. He was on his back before he could even figure out what was happening. As soon as he regained his senses, he rolled to avoid being skewerd by a downward stab, which would have hit him in the shoulder had he been any slower. It was only now he realised that when Terre knocked him back, his axe remained imbedded in the ground, leaving him without a weapon to defend himself with.

Terre wasted no time continuing his assault, stabbing down at his prey, who repetedly rolled out of the way. In a moment of quick thinking, Shinjiro waited till the last possible moment and, just before the blade was too close to dodge, rolled towards Terre, instead of away from him. He collided with his attackers knees just as the blade piereced the ground. He barely kept his blance, but he was shaken long enough for Shinji to force himself up and run for his axe, now several feet away.

He easily reached it, but as he pulled on it, his metal hand slid down the handle, not moving the blade an inch. Cursing under his breath, Shinji pulled with his left hand and the blade came free in a single tug and just in time, as the moment it did, Terre attacked again, his attack barely blocked in time. This proved something else that would have been good for Shinji to know before this battle.

His left hand, while still having a better grip than his right, wasn't used to holding an axe.

He couldn't explain it. It just felt... wrong in his hand, like it wasn't meant to be there. His arm wasn't faring much better, the weight being completley unkown to it. He could fight like this, but nowhere near as well. He knew it, Terre knew it, and everyone watching knew it. If he wanted any chance of vicctory, he'd have to do something fast.

Noticing that Terre was focussed entirely on attacking with his blade and trying to overpower him, Shinji saw an opening in his enemies defence, one he could easily exploit with his free hand. With all the strength he could gather, he swung the metal hand right into the opening, where it collided with the swordsman's jaw. The force of it was enough to knock him back and clutch his hand to the injured area. It had been the first hit Shinji had landed on him and it had been completely worth it to see the man in this much pain. Even so he knew he couldn't afford to relent, especially now that he finally had a chance to go on the offensive.

Terre recovered in time to see the axe wielding Persona user charging at him, weapon raised. Quickly, he swung his sword, timing it just as Shinji tried to drop his axe on his head, deflecting it to one side. As soon as it passed, he felt a metal hand grab his arm and squeeze tightly. The pressure made it hard to keep his grip on his sword and even harder to keep it pressing down on his opponents axe. Just before Terre could attack with his free hand, Shinji's forehead slammed straight into his nose, no doubt cracking it. At the same moment, the hand clutching his forearm tightened, loosening his hand enough for the sword to drop from it.

His enemy was unarmed. He wouldn't use his powers. Now all Shinji needed to do was sink the axe into the man's shoulder and the victory would be his. Raising it up once more, he prepared to finish this fight while his enemy was still winching in pain.

But the Black Demon Hunter was far from done. Before Shinji could see what happend, Terre raised his arms and crossed them in front of himself, forming an x shape. Then, at just the right moment, he closed the distance between his hands, causing the back of each to make contact with the side of Shinji's axe. The opposing forces caused the axe to spin and it was once again forced from his grip. Once that was done, Terre continued his assault, slaming his forearm into the side of Shinji's head, followed by the opposite arm doing the same to his face.

The attack was disorienting and left him defencless to the relentless follow up. His opponent's repetadly hit his upped body, while the back of his hands were repetedly introduced to his face in the most painful way possible. He was lightning fast, leaving no openings for Shinji to even ove back to avoid the attacks, since whenever he was knocked back by the force of the attacks, Terre would crreep around him and continue his assault from this new angle.

"Is this all you have to offer? I thought you wanted to win!" Terre yelled as a particularly forceful blow to the back of Shinji's knees forced him to his knees. After a moment to catch his breath, Terre raised his leg so high that his foot was equal to his head, before bringing it down on the back of his opponent's skull. "You've lost. You'll never beat anyone like this."

Shinji didn't move, or even give any signs that he was still alive. Terre sighed and shook his head. He couldn't understand how anyone could think this guy was strong. As far as he could see, he was just a headstrong fool. Knowing that he had won, he went to reclaim his sword. He had wasted too much time here.

"AAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHH!" That was the last thing he heard, before something heavy slammed into his back. The force caused him to role across the ground and land on his back, his attacker hovering over him. He opened his eyes just to see a fist slam into his face. Once it moved he saw that, against all odds, Shinji had gotten back up and had resumed attacking. Usually when he unleashed such a devestating attack on his enemies, they were into much pain to even get up. To see one not only up, but furiuosly attacking him, if anything even more dangerously than before, was something that shocked Terre.

Sadly though, regardless of how shocked he was, Terre was still able to use his skills to force Shinji's arm to the side, before releasing one last burst of punches to his chest. This last series of attacks took what little strength was left from the Persona user and he collapsed onto the icy floor. Terre slowly got up and looked down at Shinji's bruised, but still conscious form. "No one's ever fought so well against me before... But you still lost."

With pain coursing through him, Shinji pressed his shoulders against the floor. Despite all his injuries, he was stil able to push himself to his knees. "Never... As long as I live, I'm still fighting... And as long as I'm fighting, I haven't lost!"

There was a brief silence as everyone tried to comprehend how someone could still be concious after such a brutal beating, let alone continue to defy his attacker. Terre cursed to himself, knowing he was going to regret what he said next. "I admit, you're dedication is... admirable. I'd like to see where it takes you. Get in some practise with that new arm of yours and meet me in the volcanic wing of the school. Then we'll see how strong your resolve really is."

And with that said, he grabbed his sword and vanished, as if he had never been there at all. As soon as he was gone, Shinji's allies rushed over to him, forcing healing item's into his mouth. They knew Shinji. They knew he'd accept that challenge. And right now, he needed their help more than ever.

* * *

**This chapter took a LOT longer to write than I thought... I kept coming down with writer's block, which makes this a lot trickier. This may also affect future chapters as well, so don't be surprised if I don't update for a while.**

**Anyway, I hope the chapter was worth the wait. See you later.**

**EDIT: Forgot to mention, I've given Aki, Masaru, Dai and Juro some new skills. You can read about them on the characteer sheet.**


	33. Chapter 32 Stone and Steel

**Chapter 32 – Stone and Steel**

* * *

It took a lot of work to fix enough of Shinji's ribcage for him to get up. They ran out of items before they could finish patching him up, so they knew they'd have to get him some proper healing before his rematch with Terre, that or let him go into the fight with at least one fractured rib, probably more. Nether the less, he could walk, so at least they didn't have to carry him. As he walked, each of his allies trailed behind him, their thoughts clouded.

Samantha was deeply saddened by Shinji's state. Not only was it a brutal beating, but it forced her to rethink her own plans. She had been thinking about how strong the Persona user was for a while now. She almost envied that strength, and no matter how much she tried to resist, the thought of dragging him into her own battles flooded her mind. She needed strength to fulfil her promise and his would have been a great help. But now she wasn't sure. He had resolve, but if he couldn't defeat Terre, how could he defeat her enemy?

Masaru wasn't surprised by the outcome. His leader had been reckless, jumping into a fight against a powerful opponent when he hadn't even had a chance to adapt to his new arm. The fact that he could barely use his weapon was an inevitable outcome. The same was true of his strong but slow fighting style being helpless against Terre's fast and brutal martial arts. What had surprised the Ronin however was that in spite of all of this, Shinjiro kept fighting, and even managed to land several powerful hits on his opponent towards the end. He had stubbornly dived into a fight that he couldn't win, but that same stubbornness made him keep fighting and almost made him make the impossible a certainty. Masaru knew then that Shinjiro had the potential to win this rematch, but that chance was slim.

Aki's thoughts were the most conflicted though. While most were beginning to doubt Shinji's skills, or believe that he was rushing ahead foolishly, Aki could only think about how strong the combatants were. When they first met, Shinji easily defeated him and he swore that he would follow him till he could one day get a rematch and prove that he could stand against the Human. Now, here was a man who managed to defeat Shinji, apparently with little difficulty. Did that mean that there were people just that much stronger than Shinji, stronger than himself? Or did it mean that Shinji's arm had made him weak? If that was the case, were they equal now? And if so, why wasn't he satisfied? But above all else, his thoughts kept drifting back to Terre, specifically to when the swordsman had been disarmed and switched to a hand to hand style. Something about it seemed so familiar. It was if those moves had been imprinted on his brain a long time ago, but he couldn't remember from where, or who left them there.

Then he remembered.

"OHMYGODIT'STHATGUY!" He shouted, leaving everyone within five feet of him (Namely everyone in the group) clutching their ears at his sudden and loud outburst. Once they were done glaring at him and nursing their damaged ear drums, they tried to make sense of just what he had said. Shinjiro was the first to realise what he'd been trying to say.

"Wait... you know that guy?"

"Yeah! I mean... sorta. We met once about ten years ago. It was during my time training with Master Champloo..."

* * *

_It had been a normal day for Aki. He'd just finished his lessons for the day (Most of which he'd failed at) and was on his way back to his room, when he noticed a boy leaning against a nearby wall. He was young, his head reaching about halfway up Aki's chest. Some bandages were wrapped around his right eye, so he must have been hurt there recently. His uncovered eye was lavender in colour, and filled with a quiet anger. Since he was just a child, Aki saw no harm in trying to start a conversation with the kid. "Hey there!"_

_The boy looked at him, his annoyance at being spoken to obvious. "What?"_

_Aki was a little surprised by how bitter this child's tone was. All he did was try to start a conversation with him. What had he done wrong? "I just thought I'd try talking to ya. That's all."_

_"Well don't. I have nothing to say to you, and anything you say to me will just be a waste of my time."_

_"How do you know that? We just met. I might be smarter than you think."_

_"Really? Then answer me this. You train under Champloo as well. Why? Why do you seek strength?"_

_"That's easy. To prove myself."_

_"To who? Family? Friends? Yourself?"_

_"The world."_

_"That's just naive. To do that you'd have to become the strongest being in the world. And then if someone beats you, then you lose everything."_

_"Then I won't lose." The boy was left silent by this statment, but it seemed that Aki's confident smile bothered him. Then, without even the slightest warning, he dashed forward and forcefully pressed his palm into the Demon's ribcage, knocking him back several feet. When he finished sliding back, Aki looked up at the boy, who's annoyance had been replaced with a cold determination as his body shifted into a fighting stance, the same one he would use for the next ten years._

_"You want to be the strongest in the world? Then prove you can even fight."_

_Aki was never one to back down from a challenge, no matter who he was fighting, and entered his own combat stance. "OK kid. I can dance with ya."_

_Without waiting, Aki charged and tried to kick his opponent in the chin. Much to his surprise, the boy ducked under his attack with ease and tightly grabbed his ankle. Then, with strength no boy of his age should possess, he flipped his silver haired opponent over his shoulder, the angle of his attack ensuring that his target landed on his face. Determined not to be defeated, Aki responded by pushing himself onto his hand and spinning around, his legs forming a perfect circle as he slowly advanced on the boy._

_To avoid the attack, the black haired child began making a serious of rapid backsteps, his expression never showing any signs of concern. Eventually Aki was forced to stop his attack and planted his feet back on the ground, pulling himself upright in the same motion, and readapting his original stance. This time, he decided to wait what his foe would do, before attacking._

_Sadly, the boy was faster than he anticiapted, and easily slipped under his defence. Before he knew it, his chest was being subjected to a series of rapid blows, while his legs were gradually kicked out from underneath him. once he was on his knees, the boy grabbed him by the sides of his head and looked him straight in the eyes. "Do you want to know why you're losing?"_

_Before Aki could say anything, the boy's forearm collided with the side of his head, which would have kknocked him over, if his opponent hadn't caught him and forced him back upright._

_"The answer is simple. It's because you're still weak." Another blow, this time to the opposite side of his head, and just like before, he was forced upright, just so he could be hit again and again, each time with the boy saying the same word to him, over and over again. "Weak."_

_Finally the boy decided that it was time to end this and hit both sides of Aki's head at the same time. After a moment of swaying back and forth, Aki fell backward, the child finally letting him collapse from the pain. Blood flowed from both sides of his head and he could barely see streight. As he lay there, the boy walked into his siight and looked down at him. When he finally got next to Aki's head, he crouched down and made his disoriented enemy look at him. "With a reason like yours, you'll never win. You'll never be strong. The world doesn't care about you and it never will. So I'll ask you again, why do you seek strength?"_

_Aki couldn't answer, partly because of the massive head trauma and partly because this fight had made him start to question himself. He had just lost to a child. Was he that weak? Or was the boy right? Was his reason for fighting not enough? But his lack of an answer was in a way all the answer the boy needed to hear. He let out a sigh._

_"I knew you couldn't answer. So few can. And only those who know the answer are strong. That's why you'll never be strong." With his words spoken, the boy turned to leave._

_Aki was normally a calm, if passionate man, accepting most things and people as they were. But to heear this child talk down to him like this made anger enter his mind for the first time in who knew how long. With great difficulty, he forced himself to his knees and yelled after the boy. "And if I find the answer!? Will you think me strong them!?"_

_The boy stopped and turned, now with a vaguely curious expression. "Is that a challenge? Hmph, so be it. If you find the answer, maybe I'll accept it."_

_And then he left just as Aki's strength left him and he collapsed to the ground, his vision fading completley._

* * *

"... After that, I never saw him again. Till now at least."

Everyone listened intently to his story. Sadly, it didn't boost any of them's morale. Insteead it just made them realise how dangerous Terre was, even from a young age. Throughout all this, Masaru had been taking notes and looked confused by something. "Aki, you said this was ten years ago, and he only measured up to your chest right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, if that's true, then there's no way he's a Demon like us. if it was only ten years, he wouldn't have grown that much." One by one, everyone realised the significance of Masaru's statment. Saiduq was the one to voice it.

"So you're saying that Terre guy... is human?"

"He must be. There's no other explanation." That just made everyone more depressed. This meant that Shinjiro and Aki, two of the strongest members of the team, were beaten by a human with his bare hands, the latter back when said human was still a child. How could he become so strong so young? And if he was that strong ten years ago, how strong would he be now?

"Human or not, I'll beat him." Shinjji said, putting as much force into his words as he could. Of all the people to question him, Aki was one of the last ones he expected.

"How!? You've seen how strong he is! And we both know he's not gonna hold back!"

"And neither will I!"

"You think that matters!? He destroyed us once! He'll do it again! Espescially-"

"Espescially what!? Were you gonna say somethin' about my arm!? Don't think I haven't noticed how you all glance at me like I'm dying! This means nothing! And if it takes beating him to make you all realise that-"

"Just. Stop!" Aki yelled. Then after taking a deep breath, he began to speak in a quiet tone, almost a whisper really. "You have nothing to prove. We lost against him. We lost against the Seniors. We've lo-"

He never finished his sentance, as he felt a metallic fist pressitself into his face, easily sending him back into a nearby ice wall, the entire thing shattering from the impact. He looked up with shock in his eyes. Shinji stood before him, grim determination carved into his face. "What's wrong Aki. I thought you said you'd follow me till you got your rematch. Well here it is! Beat me, and you can walk away, give up and live a life of hopelessness. But if I win, you follow me till this war's over and you and I are stadning above the Overlord's crippled body!"

Aki wasn't so stupid to not realise what was happening in front of him. If Shinji won, He'd prove that he was right and Aki would have no choice but to follow him. But if Aki won, then Shinji would still be proven right, and Aki would probably still follow him. And running or surrendering were words that Aki didn't know the meaning of. But it was this, staring down a powerful enemy, waiting to see what kind of fight you'd have with him, that excited Aki more than anything. He couldn't help but smile, and let out a small chuckle. "Ok then. Let's dance!"

As everyone else took a cautious step back Shinji entered a stance similar to how a boxer would stand. That kind of stance wasn't good for running away, which suited him fine. "Let me show you, that my resolve is as strong as stone and steel!"

To be fair, Shinj waited till Aki made the first move. It seemed like the right thing to do after attacking him while he was off guard like that. Aki didn't disappoint with his attack, performing a running jump kick that almost shattered his defence. It was only thanks to his quick guard that Aki didn't completely destroy his already damaged ribcage. His metal arm absorbed a lot of the impact as well and there was no sign it was critically damaged. If there was one good thing to say about Mao, it was that when he built something, he built it strong.

Not waiting for Aki to follow up on his attack, Shinjiro responded with a kick of his own straight to the martial artists knee. He was able to keep his balance, but it did throw his balance off long enough for Shinji to headbutt him in the nose. It wasn't the first time he'd felt that, and it hurt just as much now as it did then. He recovered in time to narrowly avoid a metal punch aimed at his chin, performing a backflip on instinct. By now adreneline was pumpint through his entire body. His smile had grown wide and he laughed as he stood up straight and took up a familiar stance.

Shinji recognised it. It was the very stance he'd used against Mei back when she was their enemy. The Punishing Stance. Now no matter what he did, Aki would counter it, and he didn't know how many hits he could take right now. Even if Aki's counter didn't finish him, it would hurt like hell and make him weaker. He had to make his next attack count. And he thought he knew just how to make it happen. Charging forwards at full speed, he hoped that his plan would work. Aki's almost sinister smile made him feel uncumfortable but he wouldn't turn back.

Not now, not ever.

And just before he reached his foe, he forced both his feet forwards and leaned back, falling onto his back. Just like he hoped, his momentum combined with the ice surface to propel him right between the opening Aki left inbetween his legs. As he went past, he grabbed the surprised fighter's ankle, using his target's surprise and his own speed to pull him off his feet and to send him onto his face. Seizing the oppurtunity, he quickly got up and punched Aki in the back of the head. Sadly he could get no further than that before Aki spun his legs out and kicked him in the side of his ribcage with enough force to propel him sideways. In the same motion, Aki got to his feet and looked at his collapsed leader. "That all? Come on, wounded or not, you're tougher than that."

He was right. Shinjiro was nowhere near done yet. As he slammed his fist into the ground, sending cracks throughout the floor as he did, he forced himself upwards. His rib was now a serious problem. The way it broke made it painful to breath, but that wasn't going to stop him. His attempts to punch Aki in the gut and head proved that he wasn't even letting his pain slow him down. Aki was doing a good job of dodging them, most of them either completley missing or grazing him at best. Eventually he decided it was time to counter attack, and he was going to put everything he had into this attack.

After dodging one of Shinji's punches with a well timed duck, he pulled back his fist before driving into the Human's gut, before repeating the motion with his other hand, switching back after the second successful hit. He repeated this motion, gaining speed with each blow, some landing on Shinji's stomach, the other's dealing more and more damage to his ribs. After about twenty hits like this, he pulled his right hand down and, kicking off the ground with all his strength, performed a jumping uppercut straight into Shinjiro's jaw, sending him into the air, before he landed painfully on his back, creating even more cracks in the ice.

After a moment to catch his breath, he began to approach his leader, who lay very still on the ground. "That was fun. But it's over."

"You're right... it is..." And with speed no one in his state should have been able to muster, Shinjiro got up and grabbed both of Aki's wrists in his hands. Before Aki could even think about reacting, he felt the Persona user's head collide with his own again, with enough force to disorientate him. At that moment, Shinji forced the martial artist over his shoulders, stretching him as much as he could. He felt like his chest was on fire but he wouldn't stop now. And, with as much strength as he could muster at the time, he jumped into the air, leaned back, and landed back first on top of Aki, who had a noticeably more painful landing.

The fight probably would have continued for longer after that, if not for something the two had been neglecting to notice throughout their fight. The ice was breaking. Suddenly, the ice beneath Aki shattered, and it was a long way down. Even for a Demon, this kind of fall would be lethal, or at the very least heavily crippling. As soon as Aki felt the ice break he knew this was it for him. He was scared, but he knew there was nothing he could do to save himself.

Thankfully, someone else could do something, and did. Using the same absurd speed as before, Shinjiro grabbed him by the wrist once more, stopping Aki's descent, but putting them both in danger of falling. He could feel himself slipping, but there was nothing he could do but hold onto Aki and hope the others could get there in time. Thankfully for both of them, they did and one by one they grabbed onto Shinji and helped him pull their ally to safety.

Aki could have sworn his entire life flashed before his eyes for a second there. All those memories made him realise something, something he had long forgotten, or maybe he'd just ignored it till now. Either way, his eyes were open for the first time in too long. Looking up at the man who had saved his life, he knew what he needed to say. "Shinjiro... You're right. You do have what it takes. I realise now, why you're stronger than me. And why you'll be the one to beat Terre."

"Why's that?"

"Because until now, I fought for the sake of fighting, for strength. But I forgot my reason for fighting. You though... you never lost sight of it. And as long as you remember it, I know you'll win." With his speech done, Aki stood to his feet and extended his hand to his leader. "And as long as you keep winning, I'll keep following you. Because this fight reminded me of my reason. And as long as I'm with you, I know won't forget it."

With a small smile, Shinjiro accepted the outstretched hand and let his ally pull him to his feet. "Good to hear."

His smile fading, Aki turned to the others. "I'll personally vouch for his strength. If any of you still doubt him, then you must have blinded yourselves."

Kirijo was quick to join their side, giving Shinji a firm nod. Masaru soon followed, claiming that he trusted Aki's judgment. One by one, everyone else took their places around the two, doubt fading from their bodies, and faith taking it's place. The two couldn't help but smile at this, though Aki's was short lived once he saw Shinjiro mimicking the gesture. "Oh my God, you're actually smiling!"

"Yeah, what about it?" Shinji asked, genuinely curious.

"It's just... I can't remember another time I've seen you smile..."

"He's right." Masaru chimed in, an uncharacteristically mischevious smile on his own face. "I don't think you've smiled a single time since you got here."

"I just... didn't feel like it then!" Shinji insisted, feeling surprisingly uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"It's a nice smile..." Mei commented. "Makes me feel... more confident, I suppose."

"Yeah? Well, don't expect to see it often." Shinji said snarkily, before the pain in his ribs returned, full force. Noticing his pain, Aki and Masaru grabbed one of his arms each and slung it over their shoulders. Without a word, everyone made their way back to the main building, their confidence in their leader, completley restored.

* * *

**Sorry this took so long (Again). To make up for it, here are some mini reviews of the three most recent games I've played:**

**DmC Devil May Cry **

**Pros: Good combat flow, interesting story and great area designs (Espescailly Lilith's nightclub level)**

**Cons: Didn't really get attached to the characters, didn't like most of the dialogue, dissapointing boss fights**

**Best part: The Bob Barbas boss fight. Even if the other's were dissapointing, this fight was fun.**

**Rating: Decent game, better than I expected, but still not as good as DMC3.**

**Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance **

**Pros: Excellent combat, likeable characters, interesting themes, amazing soundtrack.**

**Cons: Switching sub weapons breaks the gameplay flow, underdeveloped villains.**

**Best part: Either the Mistral boss fight or the Final Boss (Even if it was frustratingly difficult)**

**Rating: An excellent example of an action game, even if it probably doesn't hold much appeal to actual Metal Gear fans.**

**Persona 4 Golden**

**Pros: Pretty much everything.**

**Cons: Dissapointing fight with the killer (though it's followed up with a more satisfying boss afterwards, so that's not really much)**

**Best part: The ending and new epilogue.**

**Rating: If you're reading this fic, chances are you've already played it or the original PS2 version. If you haven't, go do it. Now.**


	34. Chapter 33 Reason to Fight

**For the record, I feel like you should listen to the song "The Only Thing I Know For Real" from Metal Gear Rising during the fight in this chapter, if just because it's awesome. But, it's your choice.**

* * *

**Chapter 33 – Reason to Fight**

* * *

After taking Shinjiro for healing, everyone was amazed that he was still able to fight with how much damage his ribcage had suffered. Over half his ribs were broken, one in such a way that it was barely a centimetre away from piercing his lung, and the rest were heavily fractured. If that fight had lasted any longer, he'd probably have been killed.

Aki was quick to apologise for it, though surprisingly Shinji told him not to, for a very interesting reason. "You didn't hold back, neither will our enemies. If I can take this much punishment from you, then I can take whatever they throw at me."

Aki still felt guilty, but Shinji's words helped. After that everyone was ushered out by Matildo so she could heal him properly. Outside, more than a few people let out yawns. It wasn't surprising since none of them had slept properly in a while. They all agreed that getting at least a little sleep would do them all good.

One of them however, didn't sleep. Instead, he waited for Matildo to leave the room and snuck in once she wasn't looking. Shinji was still awake, and turned to look at him. "Hey."

"How bad is it?" Masaru asked, concern absent from his voice. Then again the Ronin seemed to have a distant relationship with emotions, or at the very least expressing them.

"I'll be fine in a few hours." The injured leader answered with a half-hearted shrug. In response, Masaru walked further into the room and sat on a chair in the darkest corner of the room.

"Do you have a plan?" He said, from the looks of things, not even bothering to look at who he was talking to.

"I'm working on one."

"Well it better be a good one, 'cause he won't hold back."

"Tch. You don't have to tell me that." He could have sworn he heard Masaru chuckle at his answer, but it was so short and quiet, that he couldn't be sure.

"Well, I have something for you." Standing up, he placed something on the table next to Shinji's bed. Turning to see what the Ronin had given him, he was surprised to see a short sword, a wakizashi specifically, held in an ornately designed scabbard.

"What's this for?"

"If you wanna win, you'll need it." Shinjiro wasn't sure what evidence the swordsman had to back up this claim, so he signalled for him to explain. "You specialise with an axe, but you're right arm can't keep a hold of it, while you're left isn't used to the weight. That thing's got an easier to hold grip, and it's lighter. Plus, it's quicker to use than an axe, and when you're using, it's easier to enter a defensive stance. Given your condition, it just makes sense."

"You've really thought this through…"

"While everyone else was watching you fight, I was watching your hands. I noticed what they didn't. I saw what you did right and what you did wrong. And I planned accordingly."

"Heh. I thought everything I did was wrong in your eyes."

Masaru let out a sigh and looked towards the ceiling, Shinji getting the briefest glimpse of his eyes as he did. It was the first time he'd seen them, and even if it was for only the shortest time, he could see a strange sadness in them, as if there was no life at all in them. "You wanna know why I'm such a bastard to you? Because before every fight, I judge what you should be able to do. And every time you've proven me wrong. You keep exceeding my expectations, even when I raise them to beyond what should be possible. That makes you interesting. I want to see where you'll go, but to do that, you need to know what you do wrong. And none of the others see things like I do, so it's my job to tell you."

That answer had probably been the last thing Shinji had expected to hear from the Ronin. Until now, he'd gotten the impression that Masaru looked down on him, like he wasn't worth his time. To hear that he was actually proving himself to the swordsman was a surprise, but not an unwanted one. "You really mean that?"

"… That, and if Aki's going to follow you till this mission's done, then I'm stuck with you till the end. I'd quite like to see this little adventure over quickly."

"You and me both…" With his piece said, and his gift given, Masaru turned to leave, picking up Shinjiro's axe on his way.

"I'll hold onto this for you, till you're used to the sword. When you're ready, I'll give it back."

At first Shinji just nodded, but then something entered his mind. An idea. An insane idea. But it was the best one he'd had so far. "Wait! I have an idea!"

Masaru tilted his head, which seemed to be his own way of telling Shinji to continue. "I'll need the axe though."

The swordsman looked at it, then back at his leader, for once looking genuinely confused and curious. "What have you got in mind?"

"A plan for victory." Shinjiro said with a confident smile. After a second, Masaru grinned himself, as if Shinjiro's smiles were contagious.

"Ya know, Mei was right… I do feel more confident when ya do that." And without another word, he rested the axe against Shinjiro's bed and left the room, to get some much needed sleep.

A few hours later, Matildo declared that all of Shinjiro's wounds had healed and sent him on his way. Outside, he found his teammates asleep in, what he assumed, was the waiting room. Despite the fact that most of them were Demons, they looked completely human as they slept. Samantha was curled up like a cat next to Saiduq, who seemed to have placed his arm over her while he slept, while Mei was cuddling next to the black Prinny that served her, like it was a giant plush toy. Though he was a bit worried about her using it as one, considering the explosive nature of Prinnys. Dai and Juro were asleep with their back to the wall, with Juro's hat pulled over his face. Aki was sleeping in the most natural position and was tossing and turning quite a bit, but seemed to be having a good dream. Masaru was nearby, looking like he'd fallen asleep while sitting cross legged, which seemed to be the strangest of the sleeping habits of the group. And it would seem that Kirijo had, thankfully, learned his lesson from what had happened before, and was now sleeping a good distance away from the dangerous catgirl.

Figuring that he could leave them to sleep a little while longer, he decided that now was a good chance to pay Takehisa a visit to see what the sword could offer him. The Ninja gave a courteous bow to the Persona user, before sending them both into his mind.

The heat was overwhelming. Even if this was just an illusion or visual metaphor he could barely stand it. Then again he got the feeling that this was very real, and that he should be very careful around the fire. He knew he shouldn't waste time and immediately went to pull the sword free of its pillar. It came loose easily, and he felt knowledge flow into him. Contrary to the previous two styles, where his abilities had been focussed entirely on his hands so far, this technique required him to channel his energy into his legs. If he didn't, then he wouldn't have the speed to pull it off. No doubt this move would be useful against Terre and his dangerously fast combat style.

But he wasn't done yet. He could feel the strength to remove one more block and, figuring that he'd likely be disarmed no matter what he did, decided that now would be a good time to improve his skill with his bare hands. The gauntlet put up more of a fight this time, but he pulled it free, and once again he saw a new skill in his mind.

Now though, he had to leave. Not only was he out of Mana to use, but the fire had started to encircle the area, increasing the heat to ungodly levels. The fire was worrying him more and more each visit. Every time he got stronger, so did it. He needed to keep going back if he wanted to get stronger, but facing the fire was getting too much to handle.

When Takehisa took them both back to the real world, he could feel himself sweating, both from the heat and from the various worries the fire brought to light. But now wasn't the time to be nervous, or to think about what the fire meant. His team was starting to stir, and he had an appointment to get to.

* * *

With weapons prepared, plan in mind and allies at his back, Shinjiro set foot in the lava flooded wing of the school once more. Last time he had been there, he and his group had lost to Mao's group, a painful memory to say the least. Whether or not Terre knew this when he selected this place as their battlefield was unknown, but either way, Shinji wasn't going to let it faze him.

He had been a bit worried that his new arm wouldn't react well to the heat, but the others had confirmed that it was made out of a temperature resistant metal, so no matter how hot or cold it got, the arm would still work fine, and wouldn't negatively affect the flesh it was connected to. He didn't know if they were telling the truth, but it did make him feel a little more comfortable.

The group walked to the very end of this wing of the school, where they came across a larger room, almost like a coliseum. As expected, Terre was there, sitting with his blade across his lap. "You're earlier than I expected."

"Let's cut to the chase."

"Fine with me." As he spoke, he turned and drew his sword. "Same rules as before?"

"Deal." Pulling out his axe with his metal hand, Shinjiro entered his battle stance once more, as his allies pulled to the side lines. Once he knew they were safe, Shinjiro flung his axe straight at Terre's face. The dark haired man lazily leaned back to dodge it, it missing his face by only a few inches, and it embedded itself into a nearby wall. With the threat passed, the swordsman charged at the Persona user with incredible speed. Shinji didn't try to run from the attack, he simply waited in its path, no obvious plan in mind.

Then, just before Terre could strike, he drew the sword Masaru had given him, which he had managed to hide from Terre's sight, and deflected the attack with a well-timed swing. The force of the attack knocked Terre off balance, which was impressive considering that Shinji was using his weaker, left hand to hold the sword. Seizing the opportunity he had bought himself, he shoulder tackled Terre, deliberately lining his metal fist into the fazed enemy's stomach, sending him flying back.

To his credit, despite being knocked off balance at the time, Terre was able to land on his feet and slid to a stop not too far from his adversary. It was especially good for him, since if he hadn't, there was no way he could have dodged the follow up attack aimed at his midsection. "You've gotten better."

"I'm just getting started." Shinji said before trying to kick Terre in the shin, only for his kick to be blocked with an identical one. At this point, both realised that their opponent was open for their attacks and swung their blades at the others exposed chests. Naturally both blades met in the middle and a contest of strength was soon at play, both resting both hands on the blade to increase the force they applied.

"I admit, you have strength, but only of body. I can see your soul and it. Is. Weak!" As he said this last word, he summoned all the strength he possessed and pushed Shinjiro's sword from him. Now was his chance to end this, just like before.

Before he could act though, Shinjiro reached out and grabbed his sword arm, squeezing it as tight as his metallic hand would let him, keeping it held firmly over Terre's own head. With his main means of attack disabled, Shinjiro saw nothing to protect Terre's chest from a series of rapid punches from his free left hand. He got in at least six hits, and strong ones too till his target caught his fist with his free hand.

In an attempt to get Shinjiro to release his vice grip on his wrist, Terre reared his head back and sent it right into his opponent's own. The effect was less then he hoped, with Shinji leaning back slightly before responding with a headbutt so strong Terre swore he felt it on the back of his head as well. When he finally regained his vision, he looked to see the Persona user smiling with confidence. "Don't think you've won yet!"

"I know. But I will soon." Now it was time for Shinjiro to enact his plan. If this went wrong, he'd be doomed, but if it worked, he could win this fight yet. Summoning all his energy into his right hand, the same hand that was keeping Terre from attacking, he used an attack that he had only used once before, and never like this. But it worked like a charm, as he witnessed his axe pull itself free of the rock it had embedded itself in and flew towards his hand.

The fact that the hand was occupied was irrelevant to the metal instrument, as its blade sunk into Terre's unprepared arm, tearing a huge gash in it, before flying past. The pain was enough for him to drop his sword, and he hastily let go of Shinjiro's other hand to grip his own bleeding limb. But that was a big mistake, for as soon as he did, Shinjiro released his own grip on it and used both his fists to begin pummelling Terre's chest, before finishing with a right uppercut into his dazed opponent's jaw.

As Terre recovered from his injuries, his normally calm demeanour faded, as his face twisted in anger. "Looks like I underestimated you… Even so, you lack resolve."

"You really are stupid aren't you? I've had resolve since I first got to this damn Netherworld."

"Then answer me. How can you protect others, when you can't even protect yourself?"

"With my own flesh if I have to. I'll always find a way to save them, even if I have to take on every Demon and any God that tries to stop me!"

"And if you lose!? What then!?"

"Then I'll punch death in the face and keep fighting!" To emphasise his point, Shinji said this while swinging a punch at his still pained foe's face. This time Terre dodged it, but barely. The pain in his arm had affected him badly. He was slower, and that arm would be less useful now. Now he was the one in trouble, but he wasn't done yet.

As soon as he dodged his enemy's last punch, Terre performed a spinning kick to Shinjiro's legs, knocking him to the ground in the process. He tried to follow up with a heel slam kick, only for it to hit Shinjiro's artificial arm, and bouncing off helplessly. Seizing the opportunity, Shinji grabbed the vulnerable leg and forced himself to his feet, before spinning around and throwing the longcoat wearing man into the side of a pillar.

Terre hadn't been this angry in a long time. Then again, it was the first time in a long time he'd been on the losing side of a fight. That combined with the fact that he didn't like the Persona user, ensured that he couldn't be calm as long as they were both standing. With that rage filling his entire body, he lunged forward, the pain in his arm fading as he performed a rapid series of kicks and arm sweeps in Shinjiro's direction.

Even with all the damage Terre had suffered to his arm, Shinji still wasn't taking a chance that he was any weaker than before, and did all he could to dodge or block the attacks with his arms. Terre's speed hadn't suffered, so this was easier said than done. Inevitably, he made a mistake, and Terre's forearm smashed into his jaw, almost dislocating it. He may not have been attacking as logically, or as effectively, but Terre's anger was making his attacks hit harder than ever, a fact further proven by said swordsman's knee being driven into his gut. It knocked the wind out of him, leaving him open to an elbow to the spine while and a simultaneous second kneeing to the ribcage.

'_Great, I just fixed those ribs…'_ Shinjiro thought bitterly, as he grabbed Terre around the waist and flipped him over his back, bringing his entire weight down on the angry man. Knowing that that attack wasn't enough, he soon rolled off the man and pulled himself to his feet. At the same time, Terre leapt to his own feet. He would have immediately spun around and continued attacking, if he hadn't spotted something laying on the ground in front of him. His sword. He grabbed it without delay and turned to face his enemy.

As soon as Shinji saw that Terre had his blade back, he knew his advantage had faded. In a fight between his fists and Terre's blade, he'd lose, and lose fast. But he knew that the same trick he'd used before wouldn't work, and even if it would, he didn't have the energy to pull it off again. He could see the sword Masaru had given him lay embedded in the ground a few feet away. That was his best chance.

He just had to make it before Terre got to him.

Using all the strength he could, he started running towards the discarded blade, Terre getting closer and closer by the second. As he was about three feet away from the blade, he desperately dove towards it. He made his move at just the right time, narrowly dodging the black katana aimed at his spinal cord. While in mid-air, he grabbed the hilt of the sword and felt it pull out of the ground as he flew past.

Barely landing on his feet, he turned towards Terre and, before his target could realise what was happening, dashed forwards, blade in hand. "It's over for you!"

The blade cut clean through Terre's side, sending blood flying in a perfect arc. For a moment, Terre just stood there in shock, before the pain of the attack sunk in, and he sank to his knees in agony, using his blade to stop himself from collapsing completely. "… H-how…? How can you… beat me?"

Glancing at the defeated swordsman over his shoulder, Shinji answered with a voice so calm, no one would have known he had just been fighting for his life, "Because I don't fight for me. Others will be let down if I die here. What about you? Who do you fight for? Who'll suffer if you die?"

"…" And for all his words till now, Terre had no answer.

"Champloo sends you a message. 'Look into the clear mirror, and see hope's reflection'." Whatever the words meant, they made Terre's eyes widen as his head shot upright.

"I... I see... I have to inestigate this..." With considerable effort and noticale pain, he forced himself to his feet.

"Wait! You said you'd tell me how you know about Persona's if I defeated you!"

"... I didn't say when." And before Shinjiro could stop him, or say another word, Terre vanished once again, the blood on the floor being the only proof he'd been there at all.

* * *

Needless to say, the group was pleased with the outcome, even if they were dissapointed that Terre had left without answering any of their questions. The damage to Shinji's body was noticably less than what he had suffered in his last two fights. The others had been quick to compliment his use of the Boomerang Axe skill to disarm Terre, and his surprising skill with the sword, which he'd passed off as it being light and easy to use.

But all conversations ceased when they returned to the main hall, and saw someone asleep in front of the Prinny statue. The group had a guess about what this meant, and Shinjiro knew it was true. Another human had died in the Dark Hour, and had appeared here. And once again, it was someone he recognised, and one he knew to be careful of. "Take her to the healer's and keep her restrained. I don't think she's on our side."

In spite of their confusion at the request, Dai and Juro oblidged and carried her off, her white, gothic lollita stlye dress brushing against the floor as they did. Shinjiro wasn't going to take any chances with this one. Kirijo had a hunch why he did this, and decided to ask his young leader if he wass correct. "Aragaki. Is that...?"

"... Chidori Yoshino. Member of Strega."

* * *

Meanwhile, a girl with pink hair awoke inside what appeared to be a cell. She didn't know how she got there, since the last thing she remembered was fighting a man that could easily be mistaken for a tank. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of clapping. Turning, she saw a man with blonde hair in a blue hoodie. "So, the princess is finally awake."

She didn't hesitate to attack him, sending a large crystal spike at his heart. Desperatley diving out of the way, the man pressed a button that lifted her cage high into the air.

"Not so tough now, are you girl?" He was answered by a crystal penetrating his foot from beneath. "AAARRRGGGHHH!"

"Don't think your little trick can stop me. I was born to kill!" Ciel screamed down at him, in a mix of rage and joy. Before the man could retaliate in anger, another man emerged from the shadows. ths one wore a tattered black cloak with similarly damaged slacks, rounded off with a pair of combat boots. He had white hair and had two katana attached to his waist, the hilts connected by a long, thin chain.

"Raiga, calm yourself. She is an asset for our victory. I won't have you breaking her yet." He told the warrior, who was clutching at his bleeding foot. Ciel started laughing at the mystery man's statment, as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

"Me? An asset? Don't make me laugh! There's only one thing I serve, and that's the desire to kill flowing through my blood!"

"Oh, I know. but if you help us, not only will you see the greatest bloodshed to ever grace this Netherworld, but I can provide you with the location of two men I know you want to kill more than anything."

"And who would they be?"

"Shinjiro Aragaki, and the man who left you to die." At the sound of those words, Ciel suddenly looked very serious. Her gaze was now focussed on the man in front of her.

"Tell me more."

* * *

**Special thanks to Chaos Theory for his OC (The one at the end).**

**...Why is it I keep introducing P3 characters after a fight with one of Mirai666's characters? I honestly don't know, it just... happens.**

**Anyway. Hope you enjoyed the confrontaion with Terre. See you all next time.**


	35. Chapter 34 Spilled Blood

**Chapter 34 – Spilled Blood**

* * *

He made sure that her restraints were firm. While Chidori seemed the most stable of Strega's members, that didn't mean he was going to let his guard down around her. To further ensure that she wasn't going to try anything, he gave the others strict instructions that one of them has to be watching her at all times.

Right now he needed to pay Mao a visit. If the crazy Demon could build this arm, surely he could upgrade it. Shinjiro had noted that it had several faults, and hopefully he could convince Mao to do something about it.

It seemed that Mao was hanging around the main hall, discussing something with his allies, occasionally throwing in an evil laugh. Eventually Almaz spotted Shinji standing a few feet away from them and approached him. "Man, am I glad to see you. Hate to be rude, but can I ask you a favour?"

"You wouldn't be the first." He muttered, casting a glance over at Champloo, who still hadn't noticed he was there.

"Well… The Senior classrooms are coming in soon. Mao's planning to launch a counterattack while they're docked. He's confident about it, but… I just think we need more man power if we're gonna pull this off."

Shinjiro didn't really need to think about it. He wanted to take the Seniors down, and having Mao and his team helping would definitely save time. Plus, when would he get a second chance to hit them at their own base. "I'm in. Just point me in their direction."

Almaz's relieved smile was comforting, and he shook Shinji's metal hand as thanks, though he quickly pulled it back, when he pricked himself on the sharpened fingers. "Thank you! I know you'll make a huge difference!"

"Don't thank me. I want to knock those assholes down a few pegs. This'll make that a hell of a lot easier."

"Well whatever your reason, I'll feel a little safer knowing you'll be there." Their conversation was interrupted at this point, since Mao had come over and grabbed hold of Shinji's arm.

"Come with me. I need to perform some work on that arm."

"How'd you know that's what I came here for?"

"I didn't. I was planning on dragging you to my lab and doing this work whether you liked it or not!" That was not something that made Shinjiro comfortable following this guy, but it was what he came here for, so he had no right to argue now.

When they reached Mao's lab, the white-haired boy grabbed several dangerous looking tools, and laid them out on a table. "According to my data, the arm suffered some damage during your last few fights. A protective plate should decrease that risk…"

"How do you know about my fights?"

"I installed something in your arm that analyses your combat data, and sends it straight to my glasses." As if to prove his point, he pushed said glasses further up his face, catching the light with them as he did. The Persona user didn't really feel comfortable knowing that the creepiest Demon he'd met so far was, in a way, watching him all the time, but if it made him stronger, he'd accept it. "Now all I need to do is to calculate the data and soon I'll have made the greatest weapon in the Netherworld!"

After that was said, Mao got to work on upgrades, not responding to anything Shinjiro tried to say. He worked at incredible speed, building some highly advanced looking components in a matter of minutes. In just fifteen minutes, he'd finished and disconnected Shinji's arm from its slot so he could start installing them.

After a quick repair, Mao installed the armour-plate to the previously damaged area. The thick plate would decrease the risk of such damage happening again. Next was an all-new hand with somewhat more natural looking fingers. While the old hand's fingers only bent once in the middle, this one's looked like they moved more naturally, though he doubted that would make it easier to hold his axe. Also, while the old hand had claws in place of fingertips, this one had retractable ones installed at the end, so he could choose whether or not he wanted to scratch something, instead of having it happen automatically. Finally, Mao installed a new, heat absorbing metal over the hand. This one made less sense, and Shinjiro had to find out why he did it.

"After your fight in the lava wing of the school, I realised that the temperature neutralising material was a good idea. But I also realised that I could add regular metal to the hand, so it can absorb heat normally, without affecting the rest of your arm."

"So… Say my hand gets hit by a fireball, my hand will get heated, but not the rest of my arm?" It still baffled him why Mao would install it, but then he realised where the mad scientist was coming from. "And then I hit my enemies with my ultra-hot fist!"

"You catch on fast. Faster than most people anyway. Naturally, to avoid damage to the metal, you should avoid trying to do this, but the point is that now you can. And more importantly, if you do, then I get all the data that comes with it~!" Mao exclaimed, drooling slightly. His interest in science was… disturbing to say the least. Part of Shinji thought it would be best to run before Mao decided to perform any experiments, but he doubted that would help any. So instead he just waited for Mao to reattach his arm. "We're done here. Now get out. I wanna try a cross a turtle with a landmine before we strike the Senior's base."

'… _I'm just gonna ignore that.' _Shinji thought to himself, leaving the Demon to himself. Besides, he had somewhere to be right now anyway.

* * *

Chidori had woken up in the time he was gone, and Samantha had been kind enough to fill her in on what was going on. Shinjiro decided to wait outside of her hospital room till Samantha finished. Once he felt they'd reached an acceptable point (After Chidori had been corrected about being here to repent), he knocked on the door, before gently pushing it open. Inside he saw Chidori sitting on the bed, while Samantha sat on a chair next to it. Both of them fixed their eyes on him when he entered, Chidori's showing surprise that the dead man was in front of her, though it quickly faded once she remembered her own circumstances. He quietly grabbed a nearby stool and placed it next to her bed, before sitting down on it. It was only after he did that he spoke to her, his eyes locked firmly on her, in case she tried anything. "I see that my ally has answered some of your questions, now you're going to answer ours. How did you get here?"

Chidori showed no emotion as she replied, though this he expected from her. "Interrogating me already? I'm not surprised. I'd do the same in your place…"

"Just answer the question."

Chidori looked sad as she remembered, "My former allies came for me. They convinced me to challenge SEES. Naturally, I lost. I was outnumbered and conflicted. After that, Takaya and Jin arrived and challenged them. Junpei stood up to them… and Takaya shot him."

Shinji couldn't help but recoil in shock at this. Iori had been shot? Did that mean he was down here as well? He didn't voice his thoughts, instead allowing Chidori to finish her story. "Once he did, I felt… pained. It was as if suddenly nothing mattered anymore. Suddenly the only thought in my mind was 'I would die to bring him back'. So that's what I did. I used my Persona to channel my life force into him. And then, I was here."

Shinjiro didn't entirely believe her story, after all she was allied with the very man who shot him and tried to preserve the Dark Hour for his own selfish desires. Nonetheless, she showed no obvious signs of lying, and nothing about her story seemed impossible, so he decided to accept it for now. "When did this happen?"

"During the Dark Hour, just outside of Tartarus." Well, at least her story didn't contradict what they'd already assumed, and he could keep assuming that only those who died during the Dark Hour arrived here.

"What can you tell me about the end of the world?" That made her snap upright.

"How do you know about that?"

"I'm asking the questions. When I'm done, you can ask yours. Now answer mine."

She seemed annoyed at his answer, but complied nonetheless. "Takaya told me that the end of the world, or as he called it, the Fall, would be because of a being called Nyx. He said she would descend on this world towards the end of January, and there would be nothing SEES or anyone else could do to stop her."

Nyx, the name meant nothing to him, and he'd never heard the end be called the Fall before. Regardless, at least it was a while off. If it wasn't till January he had several months to finish this war, beat the Overlord and get home before it happened. "Do you expect me to believe you?"

"No." She said almost immediately. She was right to say it though, since that was probably the answer he would have accepted the most. "I've commit many sins, against you, your friends and others. Trusting me would just be foolish."

Shinjiro sighed, he knew he shouldn't trust her, but there was nothing to prove he couldn't. And even if he could, what would he do? Keep someone here all the time to keep an eye on her? No, then he'd be down at least one teammate at all times. Kill her? No, that would just make him guilty at having ended another life, and for reasons that may have been wrong. And with all that said, he knew there was only one choice of action to take...

"Do you want to go back home?" She tilted her head slightly, that serving as the only sign that she was confused, as her face remained emotionless. "Simple question. Do you want to go home?"

For at least fifteen seconds, there was silence, even the noise outside the hospital room seemed muted as Chidori though of her answer. "... More than anything."

Without a word, Shinji stood up and removed the restraints on her wrists. "Then you're coming with us."

"You would... help me?" She said, obviously not expecting him to do this.

"Don't take it the wrong way. I still don't trust you, and it'll be better to keep an eye on you, than to just leave you here with a guard all the time." Once both her hands were freed, she rubbed her wrists, which were sore from how tight they were. She made no effort to stand, and waited for whatever Shinji would do next. "And don't get any ideas about escaping. I'm sure my team won't hesitate to kill you if you try."

"Where would I run to? My only knowledge of this place is this room. Staying with you would benefit me much more than wandering off on my own." He was almost annoyed at how much sense she was making. It made it easier to trust her, which was something that could get him killed if he wasn't careful. Letting out a sigh, he handed her a small axe, easy enough to use with one hand.

"You always carried one of these around. You'd better know how to use it. Cause if you don't, I won't be responsible for what happens to you." She only nodded in response, before placing it on her bedside table so she could look around the room.

"Where's my Evoker?"

"Couldn't find it. You probably lost it when you died."

"What?! B-but Medea...! I need Medea!" Her previously emotionless face and voice were both flooded with panick as she quickly stood and began desperately searching the room for her Evoker. Shinjiro couldn't help but wonder why she was reacting this way, considering he'd once seen her Persona try to strangle her to death. In order to stop her from tearing the room apart (He got the feeling Matildo wouldn't appreciate that), he walked over to her and grabbed both her arms.

"Calm down! She's not gone, you can get her back! Just calm down and it'll happen sooner!" She took several short breaths as he spoke, his words calming her at least a little. Once he felt she'd calmed enough, he let go of her, and she sat back down. He still didn't know why she was so upset, but he supposed she must have a reason.

"... I need my pills. If I don't take them, Medea won't be happy..." Come to think of it, Shinji hadn't taken any pills since he got to the Netherworld either. He wasn't sure if he should be worried about that.

_'Ah, don't worry. Not that you're not suppressing your anger, I got nothin' to be angry about. You don't need those damn pills anymore.' _He heard in his mind, the familiar voice of Castor being surprisingly comforting considering what he was worried about. Though him being in control and Chidori being in control were very different facts, so she might still be at risk if she didn't take them. Then again, she'd be at risk if she did take them, so the question of what to do was a difficult one.

Or at least it would have been if he knew where any of the suppresants were. There was no sign that she had any, and he didn't have any with him when he died. He was worried that he would have to break this to her, but it was at that point she figured it out for herself. She didn't say anything. but her eyes widened, and her breathing quickened. Samantha was soon next to her, trying to calm her down. Shinji knew he wasn't great in situations like this, but he knew he needed to say something to her. "If we finish this quickly, we might make it back in time to get more. So stay calm for now."

His words worked to a limited extent, with Chidori still clearly worried, but she was now calm enough to have stopped hyperventelating. After one last deep breath, she spoke, in a voice that could barely be heard, "I-if I don't take one soon... I have roughly three days."

_'Why can it never be easy?'_ He thought to himself, cursing this new complication. So, he had to win a war, defeat an Overlord and race back to Earth in three days, or someone who may honestly want to repent would die. Add in that he has to somehow find a way to stop the end of the world, and suddenly Shinjiro's life became the most unnecessarily cruel fate in the world. Regardless, he had to keep moving forward, lest he and all those depending on him be lost.

"We need to meet up with Mao and his team, together we'll launch an assault on the Senior's base and take them out. Then we just have to beat the Overlord." He said to Samantha, knowing that she'd understand what he was talking about. The Nekomata nodded at him, keeping a hand on Chidori's back in a comforting manner. Slowly, she got to her feet and helped Chidori stand up. Together the three of them walked out of the hospital room, to prepare for their assault.

* * *

Upon emerging from the hospital room, Shinji saw that most of his allies were waiting around, though Kirijo and Masaru were absent for whatever reason. Nevertheless, he figured now was as good a time as any to tell the people present the situation. Besides he could tell those two later. "Everyone. This is Chidori. She'll be accompanying us from here on. However, you are not to let her out of your sights."

"What, she gonna bite us?" Saiduq joked. He was a little upset that the others chose to ignore him, but Shinji's small glare kept him from speaking up again.

"I'm uncertain if her story is entirely accurate. Until I am, she is not to be alone at any time. Understood?" One by one, they nodded, some looking more uncomfortable than others about these orders. With that agreed on, Shinji moved on to his next announcment. "Secondlly, the Senior classrooms are docking nearby soon. Mao's group is staging an assault while they're in range. We're going as well. It's time to make those bastards pay."

This announcment went significantly better, with people nodding enthusiasticly, and some of the more battle loving members of the team pumping their fists into the air while yelling "Yeah!"

It was at this point that Masaru arrived back, with some weapons under his arm. "Looks like I picked a good time to go shopping."

As he passed each member, he handed most of them a new weapon. Aki now had a pair of savage looking gauntlets, as did Saiduq. Dai's new sword had a blade like a saw, which was sure to help against their more resiliant enemies. Samantha, who'd made it clear that she favoured her speed to much to use gauntlets, instead got a pair of fingerless gloves, with spikes on the knuckles. Juro got a new gun, this one with a barrel about as long as his forearm. After handing this out, there was only one more weapon, a second, smaller pistol. It didn't take a genius to figure out who that was for.

And it was just at that moment that it's future wielder arrived. The second he did though, their newest "ally" snapped her head in his direction, and rushed at him, her hands reaching for his neck as she ran. She had successfully forced him to the ground by the time Samantha and Saiduq pulled her off him, and even then they couldn't stop her from kicking him in the gut as they pulled her back. As Aki pulled the eye patch wearing man to his feet, Shinji approached Chidori, clearly upset that she was already picking fights with her own teammates. "What the hell was that!?"

"More than he deserves!" She yelled at him, pure rage echoing throughout her voice and spreading across her face. "If it wasn't foor this bastard and his company, I wouldn't be here! It's his fault I've had to suffer like this!"

"If you're talking about the Dark Hour, you're wrong. He had nothing to do with that." He reasoned, figuring that if he could disprove her reasons for hating him, she'd stop trying to throttle him. A logical assumption, though given how angry she was, logic might not work.

"And if he lied?! What if he helped create it?! And even if he didn't, it's still his fault I'm here! His experiments did this to me!"

"Wait. Experiments? What experiments?" He hadn't heard about any of this before. He still didn't know whether or not to trust what she'd say, but he needed to at least hear her out.

"Hundreds of children, taken from off the streets, were brought to the Kirijo group's secret labs, the ones the public don't know exist. Day after day, the scientists there subjected us to nightmares that even you have never seen, all in the hope that at least one of us would gain the gift of a Persona. I almost died everyday for longer than I care to remember. And of the hundreds to undergo those horrors, I was one of only three that lived! Whether he supported it or not, his company and his employees are the ones that made me this way and he did nothing to stop it!"

Her tone didn't waver, and her face was set like stone. Nothing implied that she was lying, so, once again, he was forced to consider what she said. Looking across at Kirijo, his look of shock, horror and disgust proved that not only was he ignorant of these "experiments" but that he believed Chidori about it. The others all looked confused, but many of them seemed worried, as if they knew that there was no way to disarm this solution, and didn't want to be the one who tried. Not that Shinji blamed them. Even he didn't want to be the one to settle this. But the responsibility fell to him regardless.

"Look, what happened to you is horrible, but killing him won't fix anything. And if you do, and you're wrong, then you will have just killed an innocent man, and someone who might just help you get back home. So save your judgment till later!"

Chidori glared at him for several seconds, before letting out an annoyed sigh and turning her back on the man she had just attacked. "If I find any reason to believe he condoned what happened to me, I will kill him."

That kind of promise was never a good thing, but unless he wanted to risk her escaping and trying to kill Kirijo anyway, he'd have to accept it for now. "... I won't stop you. But I can tell you that it won't make you feel better. At least think it through before you do it."

Silence hung in the air till Chidori gave a small nod, still not facing anyone in the room. "Fine."

With her agreeing to his condition, Shinji grabbed Kirijo's arm and helped him to his feet, the older man still shocked at what he had just learned. Kirijo only nodded when asked if he was okay, before accepting his new pistol from Masaru and sitting on a nearby stool. After a few minutes of awkward silence (Suring which Aki whispered what they were doing to Masaru), Shinjiro saw Gin approaching them, with a large sheet of paper under his arm. He seemed to notice the tense atmosphere, but walked in anyway. Everyone turned to look at him as he placed the paper down on a nearby table. Drawn on the paper was a very detailed and complicated schematic for a building, as seen from above.

"Since you agreed to help us, I figured I'd bring you a map of the Senior classrooms, as I remember them. Now, Mao and the rest of us will be heading through the main hallway, straight through the main Senior forces. Mao wants them to know it's him hurting them." As he spoke, he traced his finger up and down a certain part of the map. Once he finished, he pointed to a different section. "Now me and the others, think that while we're doing that, you guys should head this way, down a side path. Now provided they haven't completely redesigned the place since I was last there, you should find a magic symbol somewhere on the east wall of the building. This symbol helps keep the classrooms in the air. If you damage that, then they will be forced to land."

"What if the Seniors attack this place while we're gone?" Dai asked. Gin seemed to be worried about how to answer that. Probably because he didn't know how to answer that. Thankfully, someone else did.

"They teleport in to attack right? That means they have a Dimension Gate. I can disable it for about half an hour." Masaru said, while pointing to where he assumed the Gate to be. "But I'll need someone to stay and help me."

"I'll do it!" Aki said almost immediately. The others seemed to accept that and got back to the rest of the plan.

"Now, while you're going along the east wall, keep an eye out for room E161. That's a multi purpose room with a the Seniors keep there audio equipment. I'm willing to bet that that's where they take the Freshman who resist the initial mind control process. If you can get in there, you might just find some new allies."

Shinjiro nodded. "We'll keep an eye out for it. Anything else?"

With a solemn nod, Gin pointed to a room where the two paths he'd indicated before met. "This room is where we'll have the greatest chance of being ambushed by members of the Diez Gentlemen and any powerful allies they might have. We need to rendezvous there. And if they send a Diez Gentleman after us, then we're going to need to every man and woman we've got to win."

Shinjiro had to agree. He'd never met a Diez Gentleman (Except the rogue Gin), but from what he'd heard from the others about this 'Salvatore', they were all dangerous. Everyone gave one last nod, and Gin rolled up the map.

"The attack will begin in ten minutes, be by the Dimension Gate by then or we miss our chance." Without waiting for their response, Gin rushed off, no doubt to finish his own preparations. With him gone, everyone began dashing around to get every thing the needed. Everyone made sure they had all their weapons and the best armour they could get. They grabbed as many healing items as they could get their hands on, and stuffed them all into their bags, in case any were needed, which was a very likely outcome. As they did this, Shinji grabbed his tattered bulletproof vest and slipped it on under his jacket. He slung his axe across his back in case he could find a way to use it, before finally picking up his sword and strapping it to hip. Everyone was ready. The Seniors had launched their attack.

Now it was there turn.

* * *

**Got some things to announce. **

**First of all, I regret to inform you, that I may be taking a small break from this story. I've been having trouble writing these last few chapters, so I may need a little rest before I can continue. I assure you though, it is only because I want the following chapters to be as good as possible. Don't worry though, I will come back, hopefully soon.**

**Second, Persona 4 Arena finally has a European release date, so I shouldn't have to wait too much longer for it. **

**Third, there is a reference to a popular series of internet videos in this chapter, see if you can spot it. **

**And a message to Demons Anarchy. I've realised that I haven't really given Saiduq much to do, and I apologise for that. However, if this is to change, I'm going to need more info on his character, and preferably, his backstory. No hurry on this, but the sooner you get that to me, the sooner I can flesh him out.**


	36. Side Chapter A1 Balancing Force

**Chapter A1 – Balancing Force**

* * *

He didn't know long he'd been walking. After a while his concept of time had blurred, replaced with increasing breathlessness, mixed with a sharp pain in his chest. But he couldn't afford to stop yet. This pain was nothing compared to the wound his pride had taken.

He'd lost to Shinjiro.

He'd been useless against Damia.

He'd been humiliated by Ikutsuki.

And Salvatore annihilated him.

Agnus had suffered too much to let a few broken ribs stop him.

Still, he was starting to get annoyed. Not at the pain in his chest, but by the fact that he'd been walking for so long, yet still hadn't run into anything to fight. If he didn't fight, he couldn't get stronger, and if he didn't get stronger, he'd never be able to look at Shinji as an equal.

And there were other reasons he needed strength, but now wasn't the time to think about those. Right now, he needed absolute focus on his training. For a little while, he'd been forced to use his spear as a crutch to walk, but that time had thankfully passed, and he was now walking normally, albeit with one hand clutching his chest. His spear now rested across his back, with the handle positioned for a quick draw when he needed it.

Sadly, given that the last few halls he'd been through were completely abandoned, getting to use his weapon looked increasingly unlikely. Then again, he shouldn't have been surprised, given that he'd gone to one of the many unused wings of the school. Rumours said that a Dragon lived here, and that its eggs held the secret to opening your heart (A thought that made Agnus shudder), but rumours also said that Mao had recently been here, and come out fine. So either the rumours were a lie, or Mao had simply killed everything that once called this place home.

Either way, it pissed Agnus off to know he'd come here for nothing.

Letting out one final sigh, Agnus admitted that there was nothing here to fight, and turned to leave. He walked for a few minutes before hearing something coming from back the way he'd just come from. A scream.

'_Oh, come on! I was just down there!' _He thought bitterly, convinced that the universe had waited till he was leaving to do this, just to increase the amount of walking he had to do. Part of him was tempted to leave, after all, it wasn't in a Demon's nature to help people. On the other hand, something had screamed and where there were screams, there was life, and where there was life, there were thing to beat the crap out of.

A short jog later, and he saw the source of the sound. Kneeling in a corner was a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, which were almost in tears from his situation, not that Agnus could get a good luck at them through his bangs. He wore a white robe covered in feathers, tied with a bright blue ribbon, and adorned with a yellow cross. Underneath the robe, Agnus could see a smaller robe, in the same shade of blue as his ribbon, and that his feet were covered in greaves. His gloved hands were clutching at a bow and arrow, but were shaking too much for him to possibly fire it.

He didn't look like he'd put up any sort of fight, which was probably why he was now surrounded by several dangerous looking Demons. There were at least five of them, four Cu Sith's and one Ronin, who appeared to be the leader. He was pointing his sword at the boy. "Time to come along kid. Seniors don't take no for an answer."

"I-I-I don't understand… Why are you doing this to me…?" The blonde boy forced out, still not able to raise his bow at his attacker. The Ronin smiled, in a way that made the temperature in the room drop a few degrees.

"Simple… Because we can." He raised his sword, ready to cut off any part of their target he felt they didn't need. Before he could bring it down though, he was startled to see one of his companions have a spear thrown through their head, impaling them to a nearby wall. All eyes turned, finally noticing the injured Demon in the doorway. Agnus wasn't intimidated by the four Seniors' glares, but it was starting to piss him off.

"I don't what you want the kid for, but you're not gonna get him." The Ronin sneered at this.

"Why? Cause you're here to protect him?"

"Nah. I couldn't care less about him. You're not gettin' him, cause I'm gonna kill you!" As he spoke, he cracked his knuckles and flexed his neck. His opponents laughed at his words.

"And how you gonna do that without your little stick?"

"Don't need it to kill scum like you." As if to prove that he was done talking, Agnus slipped into his fighting stance. With one last chuckle, the Ronin signalled for one of the Cu Sith to attack. It charged forwards, its horn ready to painfully remove a large portion of Agnus' digestive system. Still, Agnus stood his ground, waiting for his enemy to get closer.

With a simple turn of his body, Agnus easily dodged the attack, before grabbing the horn and, with all his strength, pulled it free of its owner's skull. The shock was too much, and the beast fainted. Agnus could really feel the adrenaline kick in now, as he felt his enemy's blood on his hands. He turned away from his fallen foe, just in time to see one of the other Cu Sith jump at him. Acting on instinct, he ducked down and stabbed the beast with its comrade's horn. As it jumped through the air, the horn tore through its body, spraying Agnus with blood. There was no way that one would survive.

The Ronin was really angry now. Apparently he didn't like looking like a fool, which was what Agnus was certainly doing a good job of doing. Without a word, he extended his open hand to the last Cu Sith. In a flash, the beast was gone, and the Ronin was now holding a sword in the shape of its horn. "Seems I misjudged you. If you're going to die, it's gonna have to be at my hand."

"Finally grow a pair, huh?" He chuckled before gesturing for his enemy to come closer. "Alright, let's do this!"

Without wasting time, the Ronin closed the gap, almost too fast for Agnus to see. There was no chance for him to block the attack, so he did his best to dodge it. Sadly, he didn't have enough time, and the blade cut a nasty gash into his shoulder. Still, if he hadn't moved when he did, it would have cut his heart in two, so he still got off lucky.

His enemy didn't give him enough time to recover, instantly attacking again. This time Agnus did a better job of avoiding it, as it only left a graze on his hip. This was small comfort however since his attacker refused to relent, continuing his savage assault. He was dodging the attacks now, but he was exhausted, injured and unarmed. Sooner or later, he was gonna slip up, and then it would be over.

Eventually, he ran out of space to dodge into, the swordsman forcing him into a corner. Desperately he raised his hand to try to block the next attack, and felt it sink deep into his palm. The pain was excruciating but he forced himself to hold on. As one hand held the blade, his other let out a series of punches to the man's ribs. The punches were fairly light on account of his shoulder damage, and the Senior didn't seem particularly bothered by them, but each one made him move back that little bit more, giving Agnus more of an opening to escape.

Finally, the gap was large enough, and he forced his way past the older Demon. Sadly, as he did, the Senior struck at the back of his leg, forcing him to the ground. "You put up a good fight kid. But it's time to die!"

'_No… I can't… die here…'_ Agnus thought to himself, desperately trying to force himself to his feet. But alas his pain and blood loss had finally gotten the best of him, and he could not find the strength.

"Say good bye!" Agnus slowly closed his eyes, as he waited for the inevitable to happen. But then something happened. His mind cleared, his pain vanished, and parts of him that went numb from lack of blood, felt rejuvenated. Snapping his eyes open, he could see the blonde boy the Seniors had been threatening casting some sort of healing spell on him.

Deciding not to complain about a free healing, Agnus decided to repay the boy, by springing to his feet, narrowly dodging the Seniors blade. In one fluid motion, he landed next to the boy, grabbed his spear, pulled it free, and turned in time to block another attack from the Senior. Tired of going on the defensive, Agnus grabbed the Senior by the back of the head, and slammed his forehead into the swordsman's nose.

Reeling back, the Ronin glared up at the young Demon with fire in his eyes. Agnus smiled, remembering when someone had used that very attack on him, and how it was just as effective now as it was then. But now wasn't the time for reminiscing. Now was the time to teach this Senior what Agnus Torii is capable of!

Lifting it over his head, Agnus threw his spear like it was a javelin. With his fast reflexes, the Ronin easily knocked it aside. But he'd been so busy doing that, that there was nothing he could do to stop what Agnus did next. Clenching his fist, the young Demon summoned all his anger and punched clean through the floor. The second he did, a pillar of fire engulfed the Senior, who screamed in agony as the flames burned his flesh.

A few seconds later, the fire faded, leaving the horribly burned Ronin to collapse onto the ground. With a sigh of relief, Agnus turned away from his enemy and towards the boy who was gazing at him with wide eyes. He was about to try and play it cool, saying he didn't need any help from him, when something darted past him. Before he could react, a sword shaped like a Cu Sith's horn pierced the unprepared boy's shoulder, pinning him to the wall.

Wheeling around, Agnus saw the man he'd just been fighting had forced himself up. Half his face had been burned off and his clothes were in cinders, but he still looked willing to fight. But there was no way he could win, not just because of how badly injured he was, but also because, for reasons even he didn't fully understand, seeing someone who tried to help him get hurt like this pissed Agnus off.

Yanking the blade free from the boy's shoulder, allowing him to slump to the floor and rest, Agnus raised his foe's weapon to the sky. He could feel all his anger taking form as the blade began to glow a bright red. But even that wasn't enough, as his rage burned so hot that the flame-like energy turned a bright green.

The Ronin tried to charge him, but it was far too late. Brining the blade down, Agnus cut him down the middle. His enemy stumbled slightly, still trying to attack him, however he didn't notice that Agnus' attack wasn't over. He realised what was happening just before a huge burst of fire descended from the sky, cutting through every floor of the old building before finally finding its target. It struck with enough power to send the Senior clean through the floor, and straight into an endless abyss. His screams slowly faded, as he got too far away for anyone to hear him.

His anger fading, Agnus tossed the sword down to meet its former wielder. He didn't know what that power he'd called on just then was, but there was no way it had failed to end his enemy's life. Looking back at the one he'd saved, he could see that he'd passed out from blood loss. Part of him was tempted to leave him here, but another part told him to help. And that part was annoyingly loud.

Sighing again, he approached the unconscious boy and looked at the wound. It seemed fairly deep, almost impressing him with how well that Senior had thrown the blade, considering how badly injured he was. Cursing the fact that he had no healing items, and had neglected to learn healing spells, he unwrapped the bandages he'd been previously wearing. He was thankful that the boy had healed his ribs as well as his cuts. He knew that reusing his bandages on the boy's injuries wasn't hygienic, and that he'd likely get yelled at by Matildo if she ever learned he did this, but it was all he could do right now.

Tying them as tight as he could, he was able to stop the bleeding, but it till needed proper care. Grudgingly, he realised that he'd have to go back to the nurse's to get it looked at. He could only hope that he wouldn't run into any of his former team there.

* * *

Carrying the boy over his shoulder had been surprisingly easy. He was light and skinny, so Agnus hadn't even needed to put much effort into it. Everything was going smoothly, till he heard the young healer groan. Slowly, the blonde boy awoke, somewhat surprised to see that he was being carried somewhere. "Hello…?"

"Oh… You're awake…" Agnus groaned, having hoped that he could get the kid to the nurse's without anyone realising it. Now he'd have to come up with some excuse for why he was helping him.

"Oh! Are you that man who came to save me? Thank you thank you thank you!"

"I wasn't helping you! I needed practise, and those guys were strong. You being there had nothing to do with it!" He could already feel a headache starting from this guy's fast talking. The young man's face fell a little, but he didn't let Agnus' harsh words affect his effort's to start a conversation.

"I'm Gabe. What's your name?" He said, trying to turn to get a look at his saviour's face. Given his angel, he could, at most, see the back of the red-haired Demon's head.

"None of your business. Don't assume that we're friends. I'm just gonna drop you off at the nurse's, and then you're not my problem anymore." It took him a second to realise that he shouldn't have said that, as now Gabe started getting even more emotional.

"Y-you're taking me to a nurse? You do care!" He yelled, practically crying with joy. Agnus' headache was growing and he could feel his anger from earlier returning.

"Shut up! I'm only doing this cause you helped me! After that, you can rot for all I care!" For a few, glorious seconds, his new 'friend' was silent.

"… I'm sorry." He heard, for once quietly. Over and over again, Gabe kept saying that, and from the tone of his voice, it sounded like he was crying a little. Feeling a little annoyed (and secretly a little guilty), Agnus stopped and put Gabe down against a wall, before sitting against it himself.

"Stop apologising. It's annoying." He said, turning his head away from the boy. He made sure to cut Gabe off before he could apologise again, before continuing. "I'm grateful that you healed me, and I'll repay that favour. But until I do, no talking. Okay?"

Gabe nodded his head, then seemed to realise something. Brining a hand to his hurt shoulder, he created flash of bright light. Once it faded, he unwrapped the bandages, revealing that his wound was completely gone. Agnus could feel his mind beating itself for not thinking to suggest that. "S-so… this means you don't owe me anymore? That you'll leave?"

Agnus took a look at the boy, who looked extremely sad. He thought about his options. On the one hand, he could abandon this annoying little kid and get back to his training, headache free. On the other hand, he'd almost died more than once over the last few days, so keeping a healer around might be a good idea. Or at least that's what he told himself.

"Tch. Alright! We'll stick together. But only cause, you're a good healer, understand?" He said, making sure that Gabe didn't get the wrong idea. With a huge smile, Gabe nodded and got to his feet. "… and, I guess you can talk."

"Thank you thank y-"

"You already said that. You don't need to repeat it." He was already starting to wonder if this was a good idea…

"So… If we're gonna be working together, shouldn't I know your name?"

"… Agnus."

"Nice to meet ya Agnus!"

"… Let's go. We don't have all day." The spear wielder claimed, walking away before Gabe could argue. The young healer quickly rushed after him. For better or for worse, Agnus had a new ally. He only hoped that he'd be useful.

* * *

**Okay, I know this isn't the chapter that most of you wanted to see, but I just got inspiration to write it, and figured I'd give you this while I try to work on the next part of the main story. I don't know when that'll happen, but I hope that this will tide you over till then.**

**Special thanks to Mossnose for Gabe, whose character sheet you can find below.**

**Gabe**

Voice: Jason Liebrecht

Title: Lost Angel

Evility: Life Up (Boosts Max HP by 10% * number of allies on the field)

Weapon: Bow and Arrows

Skills: All Celestial Host and Archer skills in Disgaea 4, all Healing spells

_I'll Help!_ (Gabe starts praying, healing a portion of his ally's health by sacrificing some of his own) Description: _Don't worry about me..._ Range: 13 (affects one unit, can't be used on self)

_Blast Shot_ (Gabe creates an arrow of light, which creates an explosion once it strikes its target) Description: _It shouldn't blow up on me this time!_ Range: 5 (plus formation, hits any adjacent enemies to the targets)

_Judge_ (Gabe starts chanting in Angelic and rises into the air, with Celestia's symbol appearing above his targets, before raining down a storm of light arrows) Description: _Let justice be done!_ Range: 9 (square formation)

Appearance: Gabe has short blond hair in a bob cut and bright blue eyes, which are often hidden by his bangs. He wears the traditional white feathered robe of a Celestial Host, with a bright sky blue ribbon in front and a bright yellow cross. His underclothes are the same shade of sky blue, and his sleeves are a little shorter than normal, only reaching his elbows. He wears white gloves in order to maintain a better grip on his weapon, and his boots are armoured.

Description: Gabe is extremely shy, above all else. He apologizes a lot and cries if he gets yelled at. He always manages to find some way to blame himself for whenever bad things happen, and likes trying to help everyone he meets, even if it's detrimental to his own health. He's somewhat naive, as he is still young, and he is an avid supporter of Flonne's teachings of love and kindness, often babbling about the beauty of love without even noticing. But if he needs to fight, he's surprisingly competent and determined as long as he can keep his distance and fight with range. The most significant thing about him, however, is his lack of a sense of direction. Too many times he's gone looking for something and somehow ended up somewhere he shouldn't have. The Netherworld is no exception; in fact, he's famous because he's gotten lost their five times while trying to find a coffee machine. Even he doesn't know how his sense of direction can be so horrible, but if he sticks close to others and doesn't let them out of his sight, he won't lose his way.

**PS, to Hades Revolution. I know you said that Agnus had healing spells, and he will learn them, but he hasn't yet, hence why he couldn't fix Gabe's shoulder himself.**

**PPS, I have a little challenge for anyone willing to listen. If any of you have access to a DeviantArt account, or any other site which allows you to post images, I'd like you to try and draw any character or characters from this story and leave a link to them in the comments section. If I like your drawing enough, I might even make it the official image for this story. This has no deadline and is just for fun, so if you're interested, feel free to give it a try. Or don't, it's your decision.**

**PPPS, I have a poll on my profile regarding thee recent announcement that the P3 protagonist's name is Makoto Yuki, instead of Minato Arisato. Please vote on it.**

**Until next time!**


	37. Chapter 35 Plan of Attack

**Before we begin, I have some shameless advertising to do. First, I've recently been reading a Persona 4 story, called the Persona 4: Darkness of Hope, by demonspartan117. As of this writing, I'm the only person to have ever reviewed it, and that's a shame, since it's a good story, with interesting ideas. **

**Second, I promised my brother I'd promote an old Disney series called Gargoyles. I've watched some of it and it's pretty good. I'd recommend that you at least read a bit about it and see if it's something you'd like.**

**Anyway, shameless advertising over. On with the story.**

* * *

**Chapter 35 – Plan of Attack**

* * *

The Senior classrooms were as extravagant as they were insane. Beautiful decorations lined every surface of the halls, and stairs stretched as far as the eye could see. But while it was very beautiful, no one would deny the fact that it openly defied several laws of physics. While people could argue that the floors resembling walls, and the walls resembling floors and ceilings could be an eccentric design choice, there was no explanation for the many fountains scattered throughout the area, each pouring water in any direction other than down.

It was through these mad halls that a group of Seniors strode through. They had been ordered to perform the initial attack on the Freshman area of the school, and their confidence and anticipation could practically be felt by anything they passed. Several of them bore maniacal grins as they walked, while others bragged about how many Sophomores they'd killed in the war. With a variety of weapons and skills, they were convinced that the Freshman were nothing more than insects to be twisted to their leaders will.

They slowly made their way to their Dimension Gate, a large red circle, surrounding an intricate pentagram of the same colour. As its bloody light began to shine onto their skin, it activated and two figures appeared. One of them was a trench coat wearing man, his eyes obscured by a pair of glasses, with a white cross over one of the lenses. The other wore a dirty looking poncho, and an equally unclean hat, which completed his gunslinger image.

Before the Seniors could react, both of them pulled out a pistol each and fired at them, the bullets from the first man's gun exploding upon impact. While their enemies were distracted, both of them dived behind pillars for covers.

"Looks like we got here just in time!" Juro yelled to Cross, before launching several more shots at the enemy, who were now advancing towards them. Cross didn't answer, but did respond by pressing a small button on his belt, resuming fire as soon as he had. After a few second of stalling the Seniors, the Dimension Gate activated again, this time bringing in four people. The first of them, Aki, wasted no time in rushing into the heart of the battle, spin kicking at least three Seniors before they even knew he'd arrived.

While he made a big show of taking on as many enemies as possible, Samantha had snuck away as soon as they had beamed in, moving just out of the enemies line of sight. Then, as soon as no one was looking, she snuck up on one of them, lifted him over her head, and threw him straight into his team, leaving them all open for the fireball that Gin and Beryl had been building up to collide with them. No one who was hit by the spell got up again, leaving everyone to conclude that they were either dead or unconscious.

While they had all been focussing on that, Aki, Juro and Cross had dealt with what was left of the team, and Cross grabbed a radio like device from his hip. "This is Cross, all clear."

Just a second after he'd given the ok, the remainder of both Shinji and Mao's teams teleported in. Wasting no time, they all gathered into a circle. More than a few of them looked quite confident, though a few looked nervous as well. Aki was one of the former. "These guys were easy!"

"They were the scouting party, they were never meant to be the strongest. Besides we caught them off guard. The others won't be so easy." Gin said solemnly. Before anyone else could speak, he continued. "The path to the north is the main hallway, that's where Mao's decided he's headed. Shinjiro, your group's gonna take that path east. Remember to head towards the main path once you've dealt with the anti-grav symbol."

"I got it. You don't have to keep reminding me." Shinji said, before signalling his team to gather around him. "Don't get yourself killed Gin."

The mage chuckled slightly, though his face remained grim. "Same to you."

Turning away from the one good Senior, Shinjiro's gaze fell on Masaru. "You're sure you can disable the Gate?"

Masaru gave a casual shrug. "Of course. Focus on your job for now. Me and Aki'll meet ya later."

With a final nod to the allies he was leaving behind, Shinjiro led what remained of his group down the east corridor, while Mao and his subordinates took the central path. Once both groups were gone, Masaru and Aki approached the Dimension Gate again. "Now be very careful Aki. We're dealing with pure energy here. We need to divert it, but not cut it off completely, otherwise we'll be stuck here to."

"Ummm, how do we do that?"

"Just follow my lead, and be careful. You'll be fine."

Aki nodded at his friends reassuring comment. "So, what do we do first?"

* * *

In a small chamber near the heart of the Senior classrooms, a man in black cloak with white hair and a man with blonde hair in a blue hoodie watched several monitors. One showed Shinjiro's group, a second showed Mao's, and the final one showed Masaru and Aki. Raiga smiled slightly as he watched. "Clever of them, trying to divert our attention."

"It won't be enough." The man in black answered.

"So… How do you wanna play this?" Raiga asked, spinning in the chair he was sitting in.

"Since you're clearly bored, I'll let you have your fun…" His ally answered. Before Raiga could get past him though, he stuck out his arm. "I also want to see first-hand what our new ally is capable of. Take her with you."

Raiga glared at him. "After what she did to my foot!?"

The white haired man's face never changed, but he took a step forward, showing just how much taller than Raiga he was. "Believe me Human, if you defy me, I will do infinitely worse to every fibre of your being."

There was no doubt in his voice, nor was there anger, joy, fear, or even confidence. To this man, his powers were fact, and that's what made Raiga back down. With a small nod, he walked past the taller man and out the door.

Only to come back a few seconds later. "Boss! She's gone!"

"…What?"

"The doors burst open and there's crystals everywhere!"

"Hmm, it would seem that she is harder to tame than I initially believed. No matter, she will still return to us. Let her have her fun for now."

Raiga scratched the back of his head at this, clearly not liking the idea that the girl who stabbed him was wandering around, and that they had no way of finding her. "If you say so… So what should I do?"

The white haired man turned his back on Raiga before answering. "Take the mad beast for a walk. He could use the exercise."

The blonde Human backed away slightly at this. "That… thing!?"

He would have continued, if his superior hadn't turned to stare at him. Even though the stare held no emotion, it was still threatening enough to make him comply. Without another word, he left to find his new travelling ally. With no one left in the room the man in black turned back to his monitors. "Well, it looks like I'm in for quite a show. Don't disappoint me."

* * *

The gold halls were a blur as a pink shape rushed down them, not caring for anything in her way. She had caught a glimpse of the monitors her new 'friends' were looking at, and had seen some interesting sights. The thought that someone had escaped her was infuriating, and she vowed that she would find the large axe wielder that she had fought not long ago.

But while she wished for vengeance against him for her earlier defeat at his hands, there was something else that had caught her attention, something which both looked like a lot of fun, and would give her some time to practise her skills before fighting him.

She had seen two men split off from Shinji's group, and wait in one of the biggest rooms in the entire Senior base.

She didn't know who they were, since they hadn't been travelling with him at the time she encountered him, so perhaps she could trick them into thinking she was innocent and score an easy victory. Then again, that wouldn't be very fun.

"Ah well. I'll decide when I find them~!" she said to no one as she got closer and closer to her destination. "But either way, I'm gonna take my time with them. After all, it's less fun if they die right away!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in a shadowy part of the Senior base, that even some of it's inhabitants had never seen, two figures appeared. They used no obvious Dimension Gate and there was no sgin that they had already been. It seemed as if the two had simply appeared from nowhere.

The two's appearance contrasted each other greatly. The first had white hair and a cloak of the same colour, while the other had black hair, and a similarly dark longcoat. The only things the two seemed to have in common, was that both of them had stoic expressions and were each carrying a katana.

"It would seem like the targets have gone their separate ways…" Ruroni said, examining a strange device. Terre let out an annoyed sigh at this.

"Can't they make anything easy for us?" The white haired man grinned at his allies comment.

"Afraid you can't keep up with them Terre?"

"No. It's just I have more important things to do. I'd rather we got this done quickly."

"… You're still looking?" Ruroni asked him. He got no answer other than his accomplice's silence. "I understand why you feel that this is your responsibility, but you don't have to do this alone."

An even deeper silence filled the room, as he waited for the man in black to answer. Eventually he did, but it was not the answer he wanted. "I'll follow Aragaki. I'm still curious about his beliefs. You can track Mao."

Ruroni knew that that was basically Terre's way of ending the conversation. He could have pressed further, but he knew that it would do him no good. Instead, he simply agreed to Terre's suggestion and wished him luck, before running into the corridors with unparalleled speed.

With Ruroni gone, Terre was left alone with his thoughts. Champloo had seen fit to deliver that message to him, so that must mean that he found something. But he wouldn't be able to ask his boss the details till after the mission was complete. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to wipe out the enemy fast."

With his thoughts cleared, he vanished, seeking to strike down as many Seniors as necessary to end this conflict. He'd waited years for these answers, and he would be damned if he was going to let these arrogant Demons' plans for conquest get in his way.

* * *

"I have finished examining the patient." Matildo said into a voice recorder while standing over a Demon resting in a bed. "All attempts to interact with the patient have failed. The patient's pupils neither expand or contract in reaction to light or darkness. All attempts to feed the patient have been unsuccessful. Patient shows no reaction to physical, visual or audio stimuli. There are no obvious signs of pain or illness. As far as I can tell, the patient's mind is still active, but has been robbed or its ability to control its own body."

"Uhhh…" The sound of her patient moaning reached her ears. Quickly, she was at his side, attempting to work out what he was saying. "… Fal… c…ing…"

It was no good. He didn't seem capable of saying complete words, let alone sentences. However, something about this situation was starting to sound familiar, something relating to an old report Champloo had given her for research. Looking through her bookshelf, she found the large tome she had hidden the notes in and began to read it.

_The syndrome is a peculiar one, robbing it's victims of all motor functions and ability to communicate. All emotions are taken from them and they are rendered only able to mutter occasional syllables. However, some cases have shown examples of full speech, and all speak of an unspecified event approaching. While further research is required, all signs indicate that this is not a natural phenomenon. Suspected interference of supernatural origins._

Everything listed in the book matched her mysterious patient. There was no doubt in her mind that what was documented in the report was the same as what she was examining. But of all the sentences in the report, it was the last one that shocked her the most. Given the author of this report, there were very creatures that sentence could refer to, and one seemed more accurat thatn the other…

"Impossible… The barrier should keep them out…" She said to herself, fear and anxiety growing. "But if they've found a way through…"

She stopped herself before she could finish that thought. If they had found a way through, than this world was about to face something worse than the Seniors. If they truly were here, than the fighting hadn't even begun yet.

* * *

**Good news. I finally have Persona 4 Arena! I haven' finished it yet (So don't spoil anything!), but I'm really enjoying it. Anyway, as you can probably tell, this chapter's more foreshadowing for later events. The next chapter will be more action orientated, so I hope you look forward to it.**

**See ya next time!**

**PS. I'm gonna keep the poll on my profile open a little longer. Please vote on it, or leave a review with your opinion, or maybe PM me your opinion.**


	38. Chapter 36 Bloody Crystal

**Chapter 36 – Bloody Crystal**

* * *

According to Gin's map, Shinjiro was nowhere near the anti-grav symbol. Ordinarily, he'd have no reason to complain about long walks, but he couldn't help but wish that he was closer. Frankly, the tension in the air was almost crushing. Even from his position at the front, he could tell what the others were thinking, and more importantly, what they were feeling.

Not that he could blame most of them, after all they were currently in the enemy base, trying to take on an army that threatened to destroy their home and turn them into mindless servants. He could appreciate that they were a little nervous and a little jumpy. But that nervousness might just keep them alive. After all, if you're looking for enemies, they're less likely to get the drop on you.

No, it was the girl right behind him, and the man trailing at the back that bothered him the most. Ever since her outburst back at the main hall, he'd been sure to keep Chidori close to him, and far away from Kirijo. He knew that she'd been through a lot to get her Persona, and that the people who did it probably had connections to the Kirijo group, since he doubted that many people even knew about Personas, let alone try to force someone to summon one. Hell, maybe they were employees, maybe the previous head even authorised the project, he'd probably never know for sure. Still, he couldn't have her trying to kill the eye-patch wearing man, since he was too useful to die now.

And besides that, there was just something about the look in his one good eye after she tried to kill him that told Shinji that he knew nothing about it. It was like a look of shock, but also of sadness and of a tremendous guilt. He didn't know if anything he saw there was right, or if he was just making wild assumptions, but for now he decided to put his trust in the CEO.

But that still didn't solve the issue of Chidori's desire to choke, decapitate, stab or set fire to Kirijo, possibly one after the other. He doubted that he'd be able to calm all that hatred just by telling her about a hunch he had. Then again, he wasn't sure how he was going to resolve this situation without letting her kill him, or set up some way to have him save her life, which seemed both impractical, and would almost certainly backfire.

So it seemed that for now, he'd just have to endure their dispute and hope that it wouldn't get anyone other than their enemies killed. Part of him even hoped that some enemies would show up, just to make something happen to divert their attention from each other, and give her something she can vent her anger on.

So fate decided to be cruel, and he could only sigh at the surprising lack of enemies. "_Figures… They show up when you don't want 'em, then vanish when ya do…"_

This was going to be a long walk.

* * *

"Now we push this in and…" As soon as Masaru pushed a strange stone into the outer circle of the Dimension Gat, the entire thing became dull and colourless. Aki let out a sigh of relief that the thing hadn't released an unimaginable amount of cosmic energy into their faces, tearing their entire beings apart. "That should hold it for now. Let's meet up with the others."

Aki nodded enthusiastically at this and began jogging towards the east door, Masaru following at a slightly slower pace. They didn't get very far before they heard something, the sound of footsteps. They were getting louder too, and both could tell that whoever was making them was heading towards them at a fast pace. Not knowing if they were friend or foe, both men hid behind a nearby pillar, both ready to strike if necessary.

Eventually, something came charging out of the main hall, before tripping and landing in the middle of the room. The person, a girl it would seem, was clad entirely in pink with matching hair. She lowly sat up and began crying, out of fear it would seem, as she slowly edged towards the Dimension Gate.

The two men looked at each other, and slowly stepped out of the shadows, their presence being noticed immediately by the girl, who backed up in response. Aki raised his arms in a calming gesture, while Masaru remained still. "It's ok, we're not here to hurt you."

"Y-you're not?" She couldn't help but marvel at her own acting abilities, and the stupidity of the people in front of her were. They must have been part of Shinji's group to fall for the same trick as him. "I-it was so scary! These people were gonna hypnotise me and turn me into their slave and-"

"Yeah, whatever." A voice interrupted. Looking up in surprise, Ciel saw Masaru casually walking away without a second glance. No one had ever done that before. Evidently his ally was surprised, too, as he immediately called out to him.

"Wait, Masaru! We can't just leaver her like this!" He said, approaching Ciel as he did. "I mean look at her! She's scared to death!"

"Not my problem. We have to meet up with the others, not waste time with some girl." The nonchalant way he said that proved that he honestly didn't care about her as anything more than an annoyance. Ciel could feel her blood boiling at the thought, but kept her façade steady.

"Some girl? Don't you mean a really cute girl!? Look at her! You never just leave cute girls to fend for themselves!"

"Cute or not, she's more likely to get in the way if we help her. I say leave her here, and if you're so desperate to play hero, come back here when we win."

"That's not the-" Aki stopped himself, when he realised something. Pink clothes, pink hair, acts really scared… She couldn't be… "Masaru, didn't we here about something like this during briefing?"

Ciel swore she saw Masaru grin a little. "About time you figured it out."

"_Wait, figured what out?"_ She thought to herself, looking back and forth between the two men. Eventually, Aki turned back to her with a thoughtful look.

"Hmm, I kinda thought she'd be bigger…" He said out loud. Ciel was confused by the statement. Bigger? What did he mean by bigger?

"_Wait, he doesn't mean…?"_ As a certain thought of what he might have meant entered her head, her anger rose incredibly, as she brought her arms closer to her chest. She lowered her gaze to hide her anger, desperately trying to stay in character.

"It's always the way." Masaru continued, his smile now large and mocking. "You always think it's the big girls you've gotta worry about, but it looks like it's the… tiny ones that are the most dangerous."

Tiny. He'd put extra emphasis on this word. He'd noticed how she'd reacted and had a good guess what she was thinking. So it was a just a matter of picking words he knew would make her angry. Fortunately, Aki, who may not have known what the plan was, chimed in.

"Maybe, but big girls don't have the same charm as the smaller ones. The smaller a girl, the less threatening they seem. Makes ya wanna protect 'em, ya know what I mean?"

"Hmmm, I suppose you're right. But if you're too small, you might just get ignored. Useful if you're trying to be stealthy, but not for much else."

"I guess so, but girls that small stand out in their own way, since there are so few of 'em."

The two continued on like this, each comment making Ciel's anger grow. It might not have been so bad, if it wasn't so painfully clear that Masaru was outright trying to piss her off, in fact it seemed like he was having a lot of fun with it. But the longer the two talked, the more Aki brought it up, over and over again, and his attempts to make it sound like a good thing just made her angrier. Frankly the only reason she hadn't just impaled them both was because they were being incredibly vague. She still wasn't sure if they were talking about her height or her…

"But there's nothing to grab on to." Masaru commented. No matter what way she looked at it, that could only mean one thing.

"True I suppose, but if there's too much it just looks weird. I'd rather have just a little than too much." Aki chimed in. And as far as Ciel was concerned, her suspicions had been confirmed.

"You…" She finally said, shaking with anger, her eyes still not leaving the floor. Both men turned to look at her, all false joy fading from Masaru's face as he became deadly serious. "YOU BASTARDS!"

The two barely had time to react before crystals burst out from the ground at them. Aki sidestepped one aimed at his head, while Masaru dived past one aimed at his heart. Ciel was now glaring at both of them with an intense fury. She slowly rose to her feet as the crystals retracted back into the ground. While they did, the two men calmly walked up to each other, Masaru drawing his sword as he did.

"So, she really is her?" Aki said, cracking his knuckles, as he and Masaru stood back to back.

"Seems like it. Thanks for confirming your identity for us. I've never seen someone summon crystals before." The Ronin's words made her inwardly curse. She'd gone from laying a trap for them, to falling into theirs. While she got angrier, Masaru leaned closer to Aki. "Seems she's a bit sensitive about her… size."

"Good to know." Aki responded with a grin. He'd figured out what Masaru had been trying to do part way through their discussion, and had decided to play along. He'd meant every word of it, but he knew that Masaru wasn't being even slightly serious. Either way, they now had to deal with an angry, crystal summoning girl. As his face became a serious one, he once again spoke to his friend. "Think Shinji'll reward us if we bring him the girl who cut off his arm?"

"We won't know till we do."

Ciel's anger finally took the better of her now and she launched a huge spike at them, ready to end this in a single strike. Naturally, she was surprised when both men ran in opposite directions, dodging the spike entirely. Ordinarily she wouldn't have considered this a problem, but the room was large enough that if they continued at their current pace, it would become impossible to keep track of both of them at once.

Annoyed that she had to take her eyes off of one of them, she decided to focus on Masaru, deeming him a higher threat on account of his possession of a weapon. Having learned from certain mistakes she made in her previous battle, she sent three spikes at him, one from the front and one on either side of him. Against a normal enemy, this would have been enough, but years of training had given Masaru fast reflexes, and he jumped over them just before they struck him, landing perfectly unharmed.

She would have launched another attack then, if a fist hadn't collided with her lower back, sending her flying in the direction of the man she had just tried to kill. Seeing her coming towards him, Masaru shifted his body and prepared to strike his defenceless foe. Just as he swung his sword at her though, another crystal shot out of the ground to block his attack. Quickly realising that he didn't have time to swing the sword again, he released his grip on it, freeing his hands to grab the passing Ciel and throw her back towards Aki.

Ciel would have responded with another crystal spike, but Masaru's throw had been at just the right angle for to prevent her from seeing where she was going, leaving her completely helpless against the roundhouse kick to the side of her head when she finally reached Aki. Naturally, the force of the kick served to send her flying even further, colliding with a faraway wall, with enough force to send crack along most of it.

For several seconds she remained perfectly still, showing no signs that she was still conscious.. Still, the two warriors knew better than to let their guard down. Both slowly approached, Masaru picking up his discarded sword as he did. When they were about half way there, Ciel finally moved, slamming her fist into the wall in rage. More cracks appeared, showing strength that her lithe form hid well.

Each of her attackers took a step back at the sight, figuring it was best to be patient right now and wait for her to act. As Ciel slowly pulled herself free of the stone she had been embedded in, a string of crystals emerged from just in front of her, taking the shape of a whip. Without a word she took it, her glare having intensified a hundred fold since the battle had begun. Approaching slowly, she cracked the whip at her enemies feet with every step she took, making them move back a little more each time. They didn't know what those crystals were, but Masaru's sword hadn't even scratched them, so they doubted they would break so easily.

They couldn't keep this up and they knew it. Either they'd run out of space to back into, or Ciel would grow tired of this and launch a more serious assault. The current situation called for… drastic action.

"_This is gonna hurt…"_ Masaru thought to himself, thinking of only one solution that didn't involve one of them being decapitated… hopefully. With a deep sigh, he took a step forward and pushed his sword downwards, right into the path of the whip. The whip struck it and most of it stopped in its path. This, unfortunately, did not include the very end of the whip, which cracked around, and embedded itself into the back of his leg. Regardless though, the whip was stopped, leaving Ciel completely open to attack.

Aki took the chance immediately, running straight at the girl. She barely dodged as he took another swing at her head. He left a large opening after his attack, more than enough time to send a spike into his chest and kill him. Or at least it would have been if she hadn't been interrupted by a sword being thrown right in front of her face. The sudden sight of steel flying just an inch from her nose was startling, so much so that she let go of the whip and momentarily forgot about Aki. That was soon remedied, when his foot collided with her ribcage, knocking her into the limping Ronin's sword, which cut right down her back.

She landed behind them with a trail of blood between her and her attackers. She could feel their gazes on her as her blood began to pool around her. _"Am I… going to die here…?"_

As her vision wavered, images crossed her mind, those of those men who wanted her help, those of the last man to defeat her and of a young man with dark hair and violet eyes. His face sickened her. His smile sickened her. The idea that he was still alive sickened her. And that disgust turned into anger, an anger so great that her body would refuse to die as long as that hatred flowed through her veins.

Crystals crawled up her body, forming a protective layer along her back, keeping her blood inside her body. As soon as it had finished forming, she forced herself upright, staggering slightly as she did. "Can't… die… here…"

As she spoke, hundreds of spikes emerged from the ground with no rhyme or reason. Several of them almost struck the two warriors, but they were just able to dodge them. Then, once all the spikes had emerged, nine crystal swords emerged from the ground, seven of them floating around her while she held the other two in her hands.

At the sight of the girl's weaponry, Aki leaned towards Masaru. "You think you can block that many?"

Masaru shook his head. "Even if my leg wasn't hurt, there's no way I could block nine of them, especially in this environment."

The crystals did serious hinder mobility, and nine blades was a bit much for them to try to take on by themselves. The two both knew what their only option was and silently agreed to execute it. At the same time, both of them ran in different directions, Masaru running east, while Aki ran west. Since he was closer Ciel decided to attack Aki first, throwing three swords at him, one at his head which he ducked under, one at his feet which he narrowly jumped over, and one just in front of him, which only a sudden stop prevented him from being struck by.

Sadly, him stopping was what Ciel was counting on, as she lunged at him, the four blades she controlled with her mind automatically trying to impale him from several different angles. He lept back to avoid them, landing on his back just as they struck. Before he could get to his feet however, Ciel drove the swords in her hands into the shoulders of his jacket, purposefully missing his flesh. As he squirmed, two more blades stabbed into his jeans in a similar way, pinning him, but not actually injuring him. "Now stay still! And watch as I rip your friends head off!"

As soon as the girl was done roaring into Aki's face, she turned to find the Ronin. Much to her surprise though, he was nowhere to be seen. She looked around rapidly, worrying that he'd try to sneak attack her from behind one of her own crystals.

What she didn't know, was that Masaru wasn't even in the room anymore. While she hadn't been looking, he'd limped his way into the east hallway and was currently on his way to find Shinji and the others. He cursed at his injured leg for slowing him down. "Have to get there! Before she hurts Aki!"

Meanwhile, Aki had noticed that Ciel was no longer paying attention to him, her search for Masaru calling for all her focus. While she did so, he slowly slipped his arms out of his sleeves, removing his jacket in the process. Once his arms were free, he pulled the swords trapping his legs free. The noise alerted Ciel to what he was doing, but by the time she'd reacted, he'd gotten to his feet, and was trying to slice her apart with her own swords. His movements were very graceful, mixing his martial arts into his attacks, as if the swords were nothing more than an extension of his fists. Ciel was having a hard time dodging them, and kept having to hide behind her own crystal spikes.

Eventually, she was able to summon two of her previously thrown swords back to her, and began using them to block his swings. The way the two moved was almost like a dance of crystals, blood and hatred. Each action one performed, was perfectly balanced by the others reaction. Aki was almost impressed with how well she was doing in spite of her slim figure and blood loss. _"Cute and a skilled fighter? If she wasn't trying to kill me I'd probably ask her out!"_

However, now wasn't the time for jokes. Now was the time for the next part of the wordless plan that he and Masaru had made. For what Ciel hadn't noticed, was that he'd been slowly leading her closer and closer to the east door. Finally, he reached the door that his distraction had helped his friend reach. Now it was his time to run down it and hope like Hell that she couldn't run as fast as him.

She was caught off guard by his sudden attempt at running, but she reacted quickly. He was slightly faster than her, which did give him a noticeable lead over her, but he couldn't take any chances right now, especially when the first crystal spike appeared in his path threatening to skewer him if he didn't make a hasty sidestep. Hundreds more followed suit, obscuring the path in front of him, but still leaving him enough space to keep running. It was difficult to manoeuvre around all of them, while Ciel did so like it was nothing. Slowly but surely, she was closing the gap between them.

"_Gotta keep running! Just a little more! Just a little more!"_ He chanted in his head, almost like a prayer, hoping that the others would be just around the next corner. And apparently, someone was listening to his prayers, as a bullet zoomed past his head and collided straight into Ciel's shoulder, forcing her to stop for several valuable seconds.

With the new lead he'd gained Aki slid up to the others, throwing a silent thanks at Juro, who nodded in response. They all knew that that wasn't enough to stop Ciel, and that she was getting closer. When they finally saw her emerge from the forest of crystals she had created, she leaped at them, blades ready to turn them cut apart the first thing she came into contact with.

The sound of crystal meeting metal ran through the air as her blades stopped. "Sorry. But this is a little tougher than my old one!"

That voice, that face. It was Shinjiro. He'd blocked the attack with his metal arm, the new plate Mao installed absorbing the attack, leaving the vitals of the arm undamaged. The sight of him alive made a chill run down Ciel's spine, not out of fear or rage, but out of unbridled joy. To come face to face with the one man who'd beaten her in single combat, the one person who'd escaped her, was a blessing for her. She couldn't help but laugh. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You're here! I was hoping I'd see you again! Now I can kill you for real!"

"Shinji!" Aki yelled, before throwing one of the crystal swords he'd taken towards his leader. Seeing it coming his way, Shinji dropped his short sword and grabbed it, swinging it at Ciel as soon as he did. She dodged it by jumping back several feet, pulling her own blades out of his arm in the process. The blade was lighter than he expected, barely weighing more than the sword he dropped, despite being nearly twice as big. But he wasn't going to complain about a bigger, stronger sword to use.

Without losing her psychotic grin, Ciel charged at him, her blades craping along the ground as she ran. Gunshots fired by Juro and Kirijo went past her, but failed to hit. Every time someone came close to try and stop her advance, she deflected their attacks and knocked them back. Nothing was going to get in between her and hey prey. The best any of them were able to do was Dai, who forced one of her blades from her, before an alarmingly strong punch to the jaw sent him to the floor.

Finally, she and Shinji locked blades, each swinging at just the right time to block each other's' attacks. Ciel was slightly faster, but her injuries and her anger made her moves sloppy and easy to predict. Still, every strike was harder to block than the last. If he still had his right arm, then this wouldn't have been as big of a problem, but he was still adapting to prioritising the left side of his body.

Inevitably, something went wrong. With a powerful downward swing, Ciel struck at his blade with enough force to split it in two, the larger half tragically not being connected to the handle. He was able to block the next attack with what was left of the sword, but that cost him the rest of the blade. Now he had no weapon, his duel taking him far away from his initial weapon, and a wall behind him hurt his chances of reaching a new one.

Seeing him cornered, Aki charged at Ciel, only to run straight into a crystal wall, one that surrounded her and Shinjiro. Now that she finally had him cornered, she wasn't going to let anyone get in her way. Shinji was out of options, he had no weapon and she'd take his head off before he could hope to summon Castor, or let the Persona use his body like last time. The only option that seemed available to him was to hope that one of the others could break the wall before she struck.

And someone did, just not someone he was expecting. Lines appeared in a hundred places along the crystal wall and before anyone could realise what had happened, the entire thing exploded into a million tiny fragments and something appeared in between the path of her sword and its target.

A black katana, held by a man in a black longcoat.

"Who the Hell are you!?" Ciel snarled at the man in front of her. While still blocking her attack, he looked over his shoulder at Shinji, a look of disappointment on his face.

"Really Aragaki? All that talk and you still need me to save you… I'm disappointed. And after I went out of my way to clear your path for you too." Terre said casually, seemingly unfazed by the pink haired girls attack. Shinji would have yelled at him for that, but frankly, he was too glad that his head was still connected to the rest of him. Slowly Terre turned back to his new opponent. Ciel attacked him several times, but he blocked them with ease, his sword chipping away at the crystal each time the two met.

Her forgotten anger was stirring again inside Ciel. Something about this man bothered her, aside from the fact that he was blocking all of her attacks like they were nothing. It was hard to tell at first, but then she realised why his very presence infuriated her. And that realisation came the moment she saw his one exposed eye.

That eye… She'd recognise it anywhere. It was the one thing that angered her more than anything. Everything Aki and Masaru had said to her earlier, the fact that Shinji was still alive, nothing compared to the sight of that eye.

"YOU!" She screamed, swinging her blade hard enough to break it against his. She didn't miss a beat before she began to summon spikes at him, his sword barely deflecting them, forcing him back further and further. "YOU ABANDONED ME! YOU LEFT ME TO DIE!"

Terre was getting nervous at the assault. It was erratic and fast, leaving him no time to think and barely any time to react. But her words were what bothered him the most. He abandoned her? When? He'd never seen this girl before in his life. How had he left her to die?

And then he realised who she was, or rather, who she had once been.

"No… It can't be!" He yelled, more to himself than to anyone else. His shock had made him sloppy and several crystals grazed him, one striking at his leg, forcing him to his knees. The assault didn't stop, each spike hurting him a little more, while their random angles made it impossible for anyone to get close enough to help him.

His mind was too shocked to do anything other than block and pray that his hunch about her was wrong. He was completely unprepared for the two spikes that trapped his sword arm, leaving him completely open. More spikes appeared to hold him in place as Ciel stopped in front of him, her glare showing a level of hatred that most wouldn't believe was possible. As he lay there defenceless, she wrapped her fingers around his neck and began to squeeze as hard as she could. She wanted to feel his life fade from his body. She wanted to kill him with her own bare hands.

His vision blurred as his lungs were robbed of precious air. Was her face, so filled with hatred, going to be the last thing he saw?

No… Even though he could not bring himself to hurt her, he had made a promise, and he refused to die until it was fulfilled. Calling up the last of his strength, he teleported out of her grip, arriving just a few feet away from where he had just been. Ciel's surprise at his sudden disappearance, gave him time to savour the sweet return of oxygen into his body.

The two turned to look at each other at the same time, her face still showing an unbridled fury, while his showed a nostalgic sadness. A second after their eyes met, he spoke in a quiet, despair filled voice. "I'm sorry. But I can't die yet."

With his words said, he began to teleport away. His injuries meant that he could only afford small jumps right now, enough to keep his distance from her, but also enough that she could still see him after each one.

This would have been the moment where Shinjiro and his group expected her to attack again, and each of them took a combat stance in response. However, it was clear that now that she'd seen Terre, she'd completely forgotten that they were even there. Without glancing at any of them even once, she ran after Terre, desperate to catch him. Eventually, she faded from sight, and the group let out a collective sigh of relief that she was gone.

Everyone agreed that it was perfectly within their rights to take a few minutes to check all their equipment and rest until the tension of the battle had left them. Looking around, Shinji could see Samantha wrapping some bandages around Masaru's bleeding leg, while Aki looked around for something to substitute for his abandoned shirt, finding nothing. The others were checking that they hadn't dropped anything, with the exception of Juro, who stood just outside the corridor that Ciel and Terre had run down, keeping an eye out in case that psychopath came back.

He also noticed that the crystals that Ciel had formed were starting to break down, as if the presence of their master was required for them to exist. Not that he wasn't thankful, since their current positioning would make it hard to continue onwards. In just a few minutes they'd-

"_**Abandoned her…"**_ A voice rang out from all around them. Every one began looking around at the sound of it, but there was no obvious source of the noise. _**"He abandoned her… He's just like you…"**_

Something about the voice was familiar, yet terrible, as if something was twisting it into a monstrous version of itself. It was so distorted in fact, that at first none of them could even tell who's voice it was.

"_**You left her to fight your war… How cowardly!"**_ Finally, the source of the voice showed itself, emerging from the shadows. All eyes that landed on it widened at the sight.

Emerging from the darkness was a man in a grey suit, with short, dark hair that was beginning to turn grey. He had a gun in his hand and his clothes were covered in blood. And on his face rested a plain black eye patch, right next to a glowing golden eye.

"_**But don't worry… I'll end your guilt. As well as everything else."**_


End file.
